国内英语新闻:China sets timetable to improve work safety at coal mines

BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's coal mine safety watchdog said Wednesday that the nation would require all coal mines to be equipped with emergency shelter systems to protect miners before June 2013.

Also, the country's State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS) has required all mines to complete installation of four systems, including coal mine monitoring, pressure fan facilities, water supplies, and communications before the end of this year.

Further, centrally-administered coal mine companies and major state-owned coal mines must also install positioning systems for workers underground, said Zhao Tiechui, SACMS chief.

Meanwhile, centrally-administered coal mines and major state-owned coal mines must set an example by completing the construction of emergency shelter facilities before June 2012, Zhao said.

More than 2,000 miners were killed in coal mines last year in China. Though the fatalities were significantly reduced from the peak of nearly 7,000 deaths in 2002, the situation still remains grim.

Just last month, a gas leak at a coal mine in central China's Henan Province left more than 30 people dead.