Workplace disasters

Latest news reports on industrial disasters

Click here for other workplace disaster information and sites

---

Search continues - at least 32 miners dead Tanzania 29 June 2002

Rescue workers continued their search for the bodies of at least 32 miners who died of suffocation in northern Tanzania after an air compressor failure in a tanzanite mine. The accident at Mererani was caused by failure of an air compressor supplying oxygen to the pit, where tanzanite gemstones are dug out by small-scale miners. Tanzania's gold and platinium mines have also witnessed workplace tragedies in recent months. Risks 60

---

Shoe factory fire kills 36 India 25 May 2002

At least 36 workers were killed and 10 injured in a major fire at an Agra shoe factory. About 100 people were in the factory when the fire broke out on the morning of 24 May. Risks 55

---

Investigators dig on mine disaster China 20 May 2002

China's State Administration of Production Safety set up a three-member team to investigate what went wrong at the Fuyuan Coal Mine in Yuncheng. It will also investigate whether the owner destroyed all employee records at the mine and transferred the corpses and remaining miners to other areas. China Daily • BBC News Online

---

Little hope for 21 missing in coal mine accident China 18 May 2002

Hope is fading for 21 miners missing from a mining accident two weeks ago in northern China as anger mounts about a possible cover-up by officials. At least 23 miners were in the unlicensed Fuyuan coal mine in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, when it was flooded with water mixed with gas on May 4, with only two miners escaping to safety. Police have detained the head of the mine who did not report the accident until May 12, reports say. Yahoo News 1 • Yahoo News 2 • Reuters News

---

Coal mine accident in China kills 18 China 16 May 2002

Poison gas has filled a coal mine in southern China, killing 18 miners. Two deadly mine accidents on May 4 killed 34 coal miners in Guizhou, another southern province. Ananova

---

Chernobyl radiation "on the rise" Ukraine 26 April 2002

A Ukrainian scientist monitoring the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster has warned that levels of radiation around the destroyed reactor are rising adding that 24 per cent of babies now born near Chernobyl have birth defects and thyroid cancer in local children is now 1,000 times more likely than before the disaster. BBC News Online

---

Factory blast kills one, injures seven Bangladesh 26 April 2002

A man was killed and seven others injured when an explosion yesterday nearly destroyed the Globe Insecticide Limited factory in Gazipur, 40 km from the capital Dhaka. The death toll could have been higher had the factory been in operation. The factory suspended production in the middle of April for maintenance. While in operation, at least 300 hundred people work at the factory which produces mainly anti-mosquito insecticides. Reuters News

---

Mine blast kills 23 China 25 April 2002

An explosion has ripped through a state-run mine in south-western China, killing 23 people and injuring four others, according to official media. Eight miners were rescued from Huashan coal mine, near Panzhihua in the province of Sichuan, after the blast on Wednesday. The accident happened only two days after up to 15 workers were killed in a gas explosion in a mine near Chongqing, also in Sichuan. Two weeks ago, China announced plans to close 8,000 small coal mines as part of efforts to streamline and regulate the industry. It has pledged to cut mining deaths by 10%. BBC News Online

---

Coal mine blasts kill 31 China 10 April 2002

Fatal explosions have been reported in two coal mines in northern China - on the same day China announced the closure of thousands of unsafe mines. BBC News Online

---

Northeast China coal mine blast kills 24 China 10 April 2002

A gas blast killed 24 miners and injured 39 others as it ripped through a coal mine in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang. Yahoo News

---

Coal mine explosion kills 16 China 5 April 2002

A gas explosion at a coal mine in eastern China has killed 16 people, the official Xinhua News Agency has said. The blast rocked a mine in Yifeng County in Jiangxi province as it was undergoing maintenance intended to meet safety standards. Yahoo News BBC News Online

---

Over 20 miners feared killed after gas explosion China 30 March 2002

Over 20 workers may have been killed after an explosion in a coal mine in central China's Henan province, a local official and state-run media said. The accident occurred at the Xinfeng mine near Yuzhou city, as the temperature inside the mine rose beyond safety levels, triggering a gas explosion. Update: Explosion in central China coal mine kills 22 Yahoo News Reuters News

---

Dubai dockers drowned United Arab Emirates 28 March 2002

Rescuers in Dubai are searching for 7 people still missing a day after sea water flooded one of the world's biggest dry docks. At least 22 workers were killed when dock gates ruptured and a 12-metre-high tidal wave crashed in, submerging several large vessels under repair. Paint polluting the water is hampering recovery work by divers. Many of the docks' 4,000 employees are expatriate workers from South Asia and the Philippines. Update: Dubai flooding toll reaches 27 Ananova

---

Concern over gold mine deaths Fiji 12 March 2002

One hundred and fourteen Emperor Gold Mine (EGM) injuries and deaths have been reported to the Fiji Ministry of Labor since 1996 reveals Workers Compensation Act statistics. Fiji Trades Union Congress general secretary Felix Anthony said: "A special audit of the mines is warranted and has to be done immediately so everyone knows where the workers stand when it comes to safety." Fiji Daily Post

---

Steel blast pushed worker to overdose Britain 28 February 2002

A verdict of misadventure was recorded at the Neath inquest on 53-year-old Vivian Jenkins, who took the overdose of aspirin because he was upset over the deaths of three colleagues in the explosion at Port Talbot. See: Ananova BBC News Online Other Hazards news

---

Explosion at chemical plant kills at least six China 26 February 2002

An explosion at a chemical plant in China's north east has killed at least six people. At least 19 others were injured when a container of polyethylene exploded at the Liaoyang Petrochemical Co. See: Ananova

---

French factory blast prompts new laws France 13 February 2002

Four months after a deadly explosion at a chemicals factory in Toulouse, the French cabinet is examining a package of new laws aimed at reducing the risk of industrial accidents. The blast at the AZF factory killed 30 people and injured 2,500 others. See: BBC NewsOnline

---

Blast rips through Polish coal mine Poland 6 February 2002

At least 10 miners have been killed in an accident at a coal mine in Poland. An explosion ripped through the Jas-Mos mine, at Jastrzebie Zdroj in the southern region of Silesia. Officials say another 37 miners managed to escape, one of whom was injured. See: BBC News Online

---

Platform collapses killing seven, injuring many Thailand 4 February 2002

On February 2, seven workers - all women - were crushed to death and 57 others injured when a concrete platform fell on them at an electronics factory in the Bang Pu industrial estate, in the province of Samut Prakan south of Bangkok. Two other workers have been reported missing and are presumed dead in the Thai-Taiwanese factory. See: IMF news release

---

Dow Chemical should help Bhopal gas leak survivors India/USA 30 January 2002

Dow Chemical Co has been asked by survivors of the Bhopal disaster to provide assistance, Bhopal Group for Information and Action said. The company acquired Union Carbide after the 1984 toxic gas leak. See: Ananova

---

Two explosions in Chinese coal mine China 28 January 2002

At least 27 miners have been killed in two explosions at a coal mine in northern China. The first occurred on Saturday morning at the mine in Chengde County and killed 19 people. Eight more miners were killed in a second explosion on Sunday as they were trying to recover the dead bodies. See: BBC News Online

---

Three miners die in Mexican accident Mexico 25 January 2002

The bodies of three Mexican miners have been recovered after an accident flooded a small coal mine in Northern Mexico. A further 10 are missing and presumed dead after being trapped 200 feet below ground. See : Ananova

---

Chernobyl trauma lives on Ukraine 16 January 2002

Nearly 16 years after the explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the then-Soviet Republic of Ukraine, the repercussions of the world's worst nuclear accident are still being felt across the region. See: BBC News Online

---

Fifty dead in China mining disasters China 15 January 2002

An explosion at a coal mine in China has killed 25 miners, bringing the death toll from three separate coal mine disasters in two days to at least 50, state media has reported. The latest blast took place in Wenshan county, in an unlicensed mine, where 35 men were working - 10 of them were injured and taken to hospital. See: BBC News Online

---

Miners buried alive in DR Congo Democratic Republic of Congo 15 January 2002

A mine has collapsed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 30 people. Three bodies have been recovered from the mine but as many as 36 others are still buried under the debris, a week after the collapse. "Coltan", the mineral mined at the site, is used in the manufacture of mobile phones. Some human rights activists have said coltan boom has been one reason for the three-year conflict in DR Congo. They have launched a "No blood on my cell-phone" campaign in Europe, hoping to persuade people not to buy phones which incorporate coltan. See: BBC News Online See: News24.com

---

Bhopal Appeal India/UK 11 January 2002

Help the appeal for victims of the Bhopal disaster. Make a donation! See: Other Bhopal information below

---

Six die in blast at mine China 11 January 2002

Six coal miners have been killed in an explosion at a mine that had been held up as a model for safety in China's accident-plagued industry. See: Ananova

---

37 fishermen missing after ship sinks in Red Sea Eygpt 11 January 2002

More than 30 crew members are missing after a large fishing vessel sank off the Red Sea coast. Two fishermen were rescued and taken to hospital. See: Ananova

---

Eighteen killed in mine blast China 31 December 2001

An explosion tore through a coal mine in China's eastern Jiangxi province, killing 18 miners... See: Reuters

---

China reports 5,000 mining deaths in 11 months China 26 December 2001

Chinese state media says more than 5,000 people died in coalmining accidents in the first 11 months of 2001, as legislators mulled a new law to curb the number of workplace deaths... More: Yahoo news report

---

Mine disaster China 25 Nov 2001

The death toll in the Qiaojiagou mine disaster on 22 November has risen to 26... CNN Asia/Reuters news

---

Gold mine collapse Colombia 22 Nov 2001

Colombian gold mine collapse kills at least 40... BBC News Online

---

Mine disaster China 19 Nov 2001

Fresh China coal mine accidents kill at least 14... Yahoo News China acts after mine explosions kill 50... BBC News Online

---

Furnace explosion Wales 19 Nov 2001

A furnace at the South Wales Corus steel plant explodes killing three... TUC Risks 28 Blast furnace had 'poor safety record'... The Guardian Hundreds attend Corus workers' funerals... 20 November update, The Guardian

---

PVC massacre Italy 16 Nov 2001

PVC managers get away with workplace "massacre"... Greenpeace news release Who pays when cancer strikes? Hazards 64 Oct-Dec 1998

---

Cape victims South Africa 7 Nov 2001

Cape Plc opens talks... ICEM and ACTSA Pay compensation for Cape victims, says union body... ICEM Update 4 December 2001: Lawyers confident of settlement... SABCNEWS

---

Chernobyl Ukraine 23 Oct 2001

Chernobyl's cancer world record... BBC News Online Environment News Service

---

Indian miners India 12 Oct 2001

Protest over trapped Indian miners... BBC News Online

---

Poisoned workers South Africa/ Switzerland 9 Oct 2001

SA inquiry over Vantech's poisoned workers... BBC News Online 26 November update, African Eye News Service Ray of light for Vantech's ill

---

Mine disaster USA 25 Sept 2001

13 feared dead in mine disaster... ICEM and UMWA

---

Explosion deaths France 24 Sept 2001

29 killed, 2,442 injured in TotalFinaElf chemical factory explosion... ICEM

---

Mercury poisonings India/UK 24 Sept 2001

Hindustan Lever suppresses information to evade responsibility for mercury poisonings... Greenpeace India

---

Mine disasters China 15 Sept 2001

Illegal miners face new safety crackdown after spate of disasters... Hong Kong i-mail

---

Vanadium poisonings South Africa/ Switzerland 13 Sept 2001

Vanadium mines to feel heat from union; formal enquiry begins... Business Report

---

US terror attacks USA 11 Sept 2001

Condemnation of attacks in Washington DC and New York... ICFTU and union responses from around the world. Also see AFL-CIO site Update: 12 Dec 2001 OSHA launches second partnership to protect World Trade Centre site workers

---

Mining disasters Ukraine 27 August 2001

"End the killing machine" say unions... ICEM

---

Factory fire Bangladesh 15 August 2001

Bangladesh’s garment industry has claimed another twenty four lives... ITGLWF Also see Clean Clothes Campaign

---

Longford explosion Australia 6 August 2001

Esso found guilty in avoidable 28 September 1998 Longford explosion... Victoria Trades Hall Council Esso Judgment - the full transcript Here Previous story

---

Human rights abuses Colombia 19 July 2001

Coca-Cola to be sued for human rights abuses... International Labor Rights Fund

---

Kader fire Thailand April-June 2001

Remember the May 1993 Kader fire... Asian Labour Update Also: Unions mark 5th Anniversary... ICFTU Online

---

Chernobyl Ukraine 25 April 2001

Chernobyl unions tackle social fall-out- 15th anniversary of world's worst nuclear accident... ICEM

---

Oil platform explosions Brazil 16 March 2001

Petrobas oil platform explosions - Oil workers say "for safety's sake, end subcontracting now"... ICEM

---

Death trap factory Bangladesh 28 Nov 2000

Forty-eight die in death-trap factory... Global Unions

---

Nuclear accident Japan 1 Oct 1999

Tokaimura nuclear accident: ICEM demands full safety measures... ICEM

---

Gas blast Australia 28 Sept 1998

Longford gas complex blast: ICEM says"lean safety" could cause more disasters... ICEM

---

Mine disaster Austria 18 Sept 1998

Lassing mine disaster: Rio Tinto blamed... ICEM

---

Mine disaster Ukraine 6 April 1998

World unions highlight "unacceptable" accident levels... ICEM

---

Nuclear accident Japan 26 March 1997

Nuclear accident: unions call for greater openness... ICEM

---

Acetone poisonings Vietnam 4 March 1997

Acetone poisonings in toy factory... ICEM

---

Val Reefs Mine disaster South Africa 19 April 1996

Vaal Reefs mining disaster inquiry says company should be prosecuted... ICEM

---

Hamlet fire USA October 1992

A fire at the Imperial Food plant, Hamlet, USA, in September 1991 killed 25 workers and injured more than 50... Multinational Monitor

---

Westray mine disaster Canada 9 May 1992

Unions make your workplace safer: excerpts from "Death by Deregulation... The Story of Westray", produced by the United Steelworkers of America... CLC Also see: CAW

---

 

Other sites and workplace disasters

---

Global

Other reported workplace disasters... here

---

US terror attacks USA 11 Sept 2001

AFL-CIO disaster special: Working families mourn, honour and rebuild... here

---

Cape plc South Africa

Asbestos mining justice... here See also Hein du Plessis's Cape Dust photo gallery here

---

Union Carbide Bhopal, India

News Updates... here Partner site... here Essential Information: We all live in Bhopal! webpage... here

---

Global

Trade union repression... here

---

Human made disasters Sept 2001

Editorial on human made disasters from the Canadian Union CEP... here

---