CHINA: A gas explosion at a construction site in China's southwestern province of Sichuan has killed at least 42 people, state media said, the latest statistic in a grim series of workplace disasters.
Eleven were injured in the explosion on Thursday in a highway tunnel under construction between the cities of Dujiangyan and Wenchuan.
Most of the victims were construction workers, the report said.
The exact number of casualties was unclear, with search and rescue operations still under way.
China is known for its poor workplace standards, as pressure to mine resources and build roads and other infrastructure to keep pace with the demands of the world's fastest-growing major economy leads to compromises on safety.
Its mining industry is the world's deadliest, claiming some 6,000 lives last year.
Li Yizhong, director of the state administration of work safety supervision, was to give the results of a government investigation into recent coalmine accidents later.
The International Labour Organisation estimated the number of fatal workplace accidents in China in 2001 at more than 90,000.
Meanwhile, Chinese work-safety officials have admitted that they had little real power to stop mineowners and local officials from breaking rules in the coal industry.
Corrupt local officials have been blamed for ignoring or encouraging negligence on the part of mineowners who raise production beyond safe limits to cash in on soaring coal prices.
But they are subject to relatively light punishment for the gas explosions, floods and other disasters that have killed almost 5,500 miners this year.
"The most we can do is remove people who have committed crimes from their posts. That's the limit to our power," Chen Changzhi, vice-minister of supervision, told a news conference.
This year China sacked two provincial vice-governors and handed 96 officials over to the courts for involvement in or negligence leading to six major coal-mine accidents in which 528 miners were killed, the minister said.
By Chinese law the maximum punishment for negligence leading to coal-mine disasters was seven years' imprisonment, although courts could combine charges to hand down lengthier sentences, Mr Li said.
"Some people have proposed revising the criminal law, and still others think relevant authorities should make judicial interpretations to increase the penalties against those responsible," Mr Li said. - (Reuters)