2005 Sunjiawan mine disaster
Encyclopedia
The Sunjiawan mine disaster (孙家湾矿难) was a mine disaster that occurred on February 14, 2005 in Fuxin
city, Liaoning
province, in the northeastern part of the People's Republic of China
. Initial reports indicated that at least 214 coal miners
were killed, making it the worst mining disaster in China in at least 15 years.
The disaster was a gas explosion
that occurred about 3:50 p.m. local time at the Sunjiawan colliery of the Fuxin Coal Industry Group in the city of Fuxin
, about 242m (794 feet) underground. Twenty-two people were injured. The explosion reportedly occurred about ten minutes after an earthquake
shook the mine.
Fuxin
-Economy:Fuxin is a mining center in an agricultural region.The city suffers from the over-mining of coal, which is low in supply while fundamental in Fuxin's economy. As the coal mines run dry, Fuxin is trying to find other industries to keep its economy going...
city, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
province, in the northeastern part of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Initial reports indicated that at least 214 coal miners
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
were killed, making it the worst mining disaster in China in at least 15 years.
The disaster was a gas explosion
Explosive material
An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
that occurred about 3:50 p.m. local time at the Sunjiawan colliery of the Fuxin Coal Industry Group in the city of Fuxin
Fuxin
-Economy:Fuxin is a mining center in an agricultural region.The city suffers from the over-mining of coal, which is low in supply while fundamental in Fuxin's economy. As the coal mines run dry, Fuxin is trying to find other industries to keep its economy going...
, about 242m (794 feet) underground. Twenty-two people were injured. The explosion reportedly occurred about ten minutes after an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
shook the mine.