Harbin, November 23rd, (reporter Bai Jiege) According to the report of China National Radio News at 19:39, the governor of Heilongjiang Province, Zhan-shu Li, stated that he bears important leadership responsibility for the gas explosion accident which occurred on November 21st at Xinxing Coal Mine of Longmay Group Corporation's Hegang Branch. He also emphasized that economic development should not pursue a bloody GDP at the cost of miners' lives.
Yesterday (November 22nd), the Heilongjiang provincial government held an urgent province-wide teleconference on production safety in Hegang, informing about the major gas explosion accident at Xinxing Coal Mine in Hegang. Governor Zhan-shu Li expressed that economic development should not sacrifice the life safety of miners for a bloody GDP.
Zhan-shu Li said, "Development is the top priority and it is the main task, but we cannot exchange the lives and blood of workers for GDP. We cannot pursue a bloody GDP!"
It was noted that before the November 21st mine disaster at Xinxing Coal Mine, the coal mine safety situation in Heilongjiang province had been considered optimistic. Statistics from the Heilongjiang Provincial Coal Industry Association showed that by the end of August this year, there were 31 coal mine fatal accidents across the province, resulting in 45 deaths, lower than the same period last year. A media report in Heilongjiang on November 13th indicated that these figures reflected a significant decline in all safety indicators within the province's coal system, creating "the best historical level and a marked improvement in safety conditions."
Governor Zhan-shu Li of Heilongjiang Province said that the accident at Xinxing Coal Mine reversed the good performance of safety conditions this year, and he bore important leadership responsibility.
Zhan-shu Li stated, "Before this accident occurred, the number of production safety accidents and fatalities in our province decreased significantly compared to the same period last year. However, the November 21st production safety accident suddenly reversed our safety situation, and I bear important leadership responsibility."