Shanxi moves against illegal mining

Taiyuan (CNS) -- The coal-rich province of Shanxi will deploy a new round of official measures to eliminate mining accidents by attacking illegal coal mining operations, it said on Thursday.

A local official responsible for the coal industry said they will check the licenses of all coal mines and close or suspend the unqualified ones.

This is not the first major move made by the government against illegal mines. This year on April 14, the local government announced new, firmer policies would be implemented to fully curb the unauthorized investigation, exploration and activation of unapproved and unlicensed sites.

Official statistics for the province in the first quarter of this year confirm a decline in fatalities linked to safety violations, 60 less than in the same period last year.