Which one did you hear about? Apparently fearing a backlash due to the back-to-back timing and starkly different results of the two mining accidents (as well as China's atrocious record on mine safety), Chinese authorities heavily censored news about its mine explosion Saturday. There were reports in the MSM outside china--brief reports of the few details China funneled out through its state news service, Xinhua.
After its brief report that the last five trapped miners were found dead, bringing the death toll to 37, all stories about the event apparently were scrubbed from Xinhua's website. When I searched for any remaining report, all I found was a single link. A single, broken link. Still, the UK Telegraph's Malcolm Moore managed to get out this report from Shanghai:Chinese anger at 37 coal mine deathsBy Malcolm Moore, Shanghai
Published: 1:50PM BST 19 Oct 2010
Thirty seven miners trapped after an explosion at a Chinese coal mine have been confirmed dead, prompting comparisons to the Chilean mine rescue and triggering anger at China's inability to ensure mine safety.
<snip>
There was no rescue equipment in the tunnels, no food or water and most of the time, the safety zones were filled with scrap metal and debris. Also, the ventilation fans were not strong enough to circulate the air sufficiently," said Chen Jiaguo, one of the survivors, to the Beijing News.
<snip>
Chinese censors, keen to play down the incident, removed all but 700 out of 24,000 comments on Netease, and restricted the news of the deaths to short bulletins.
<snip>
Although China's mine safety has improved from the low point of 2002, when 7,000 deaths were recorded, the death toll has begun to tick up again and reached 2,600 last year.
Although China's mine safety has improved from the low point of 2002, when 7,000 deaths were recorded, the death toll has begun to tick up again. Photo: EPA
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8072975/Chinese-anger-at-37-coal-mine-deaths.html
Associated Press
A young relative grieves for a miner who was killed by an explosion in a state-run coal mine in China.Previous thread on the mine explosion in China:Hope Fades for China's Trapped Miners (30 confirmed dead, 7 more trapped)http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9340415______________________________________________________________________________________________
A timely blast from the past:The Bells of RhymneyOh what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.
Is there hope for the future?
Cry the brown bells of Merthyr.
Who made the mine owner?
Say the black bells of Rhondda.
And who robbed the miner?
Cry the grim bells of Blaina.
They will plunder will-nilly,
Cry the bells of Caerphilly.
They have fangs, they have teeth,
Shout the loud bells of Neath.
Even God is uneasy,
Say the moist bells of Swansea.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.
Throw the vandals in court,
Say the bells of Newport.
All will be well if, if, if,
Cry the green bells of Cardiff.
Why so worried, sisters why?
Sang the silver bells of Wye.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney?
Words from "Gwalia Deserta" by Idris Davies
Music by Pete Seeger
© 1959 & 1964 Ludlow Music, Inc.
__________________
The Byrds - The Bells of Rhymney (2:33)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8gBysv5gYQ __________________
Idris DaviesIdris Davies (born 6 January 1905 Rhymney, died 6 April 1953), was a Welsh poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later
writing exclusively in English. He was the only poet to cover significant events in the early 20th century in the South
Wales Valleys and the South Wales coalfield, and from a perspective literally at the coalface.
He is now best known for "Bells of Rhymney", a poem about the failure of the 1926 UK General Strike and the Great
Depression in the United Kingdom and their effects on the South Wales coal mining valleys.... ....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idris_DaviesR.I.P. :patriot: