Hopes were fading for 44 missing Chinese miners Friday, a day after a severe gas explosion in a coal mine north of the capital Beijing. A total of seven dead bodies had been recovered so far from the scene of the tragedy, with slim hope of survivors being found, the mining safety commission of China's Hebei province reported. A total of 51 miners were reported missing after the accident on Thursday. Although rescue operations continued, "little progress" had been made, the commission reported. The gas explosion occurred in the early morning hours of Thursday, when 85 miners were at work in the underground mine. The commission reported the mine had operated illegally, because it had been repeatedly ordered to cease operations due to sub-standard safety measures deployed, DPA said. However, those orders had been consistently ignored by the mine, the commission said. China's coal and mining sector is beset by safety problems, with accidents common and thousands of miners estimated to die annually. The country has the highest mining accident death toll in the world. Accidents this year in the provinces of Liaoning, Shanxi, Henan and Jilin have killed over 300 people. Many fatal incidents at small or illegal mines are believed to go unreported. A blatant lack of safety, antiquated equipment, insufficient government control and massive output pressure due to China's rapid economic development are cited as the reasons for the frequent accidents.
