国内英语新闻:Coffee break offered in China's coal mine

BAISE, Guangxi, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Tired? How about sitting down and having a cup of coffee in a cozy cafe some 150 meters underground in a real coal mine?

This is not day dreaming on the part of China's miners who usually toil down in the mine for meager wages and sometimes have to risk their lives.

A coal mine operator in Baise city, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has set up a cafe in the Donghuai Coal Mine as a part of the measures taken to improve underground working conditions, Xinhua reporters saw.

Miners now can enjoy light music, crack a joke with loved ones through a walkie-talkie, or simply take a nap in the cafe. There are also sets of desks and chairs, potted plants and even a fish bowl.

"We have left no loop-holes in safety checks and try to do more," said Yi Peiyi, a deputy director of the local mining administration.

He said the city plans to spend 80 million yuan (12 million U.S. dollars) to make mines modern and safe beginning in 2005.

China's coal mines were notorious for accidents in the past few years as mines, including many with inadequate safety measures, were pushed to run at maximum capacity to meet the massive energy needs of a fast growing economy.

More than 2,600 miners were killed in China's mining accidents last year. However, the death toll was already significantly less than those recorded in previous years.

Last month, China's mine workers and bosses joined the world in cheering the successful rescue of 33 Chilean miners and were awed at the professional and modern working conditions of their Chilean counterparts.

Additionally, industry authorities and safety watchdog officials have ordered mine bosses to double their efforts to improve safety measures and underground working conditions.