Quotes of the Day

In his travels in China in the 13th century, Marco Polo was amazed at the widespread burning of coal. He referred to the fuel as "black stones," and reported that "they may be had in the greatest abundance, and at a cheap rate." Today, China is the world's largest coal producer, increasing output each year to feed its rapidly growing economy. But the cost in human lives is anything but low. Thousands of miners die in China's coal mines every year. The government put the number at 6,434 last year, but labor- and human-rights groups say the true count could be as high as 20,000. On average there is an accident that kills three or more people every week, while there is an accident that kills at least 10 people every three weeks, according to State Administration of Work Safety statistics. The latest large-scale tragedy occurred on Nov. 28 when an explosion at the government-owned Chenjiashan mine in Shaanxi province killed 166 people, the deadliest accident in years. Fire had broken out in the mine a week before the accident, but bosses threatened to suspend workers who refused to return to work, state-run media reported.

Last week the government announced plans to consolidate the industry into 13 large-scale production groups to allow closer mine oversight, particularly for the smaller, private pits that are the most dangerous. Whether that action ends up being too little, it certainly is too late. Last Wednesday an explosion at a coal mine in China's southwestern Guizhou province killed 16 people.

• Austin Ramzy
• Thousands of miners die in China's coal mines every year