According to CCTV News, an accident involving a roof collapse occurred at the Shuangyang Coal Mine of Longmay Shuangyashan Mining Co., Ltd. ("Longmay Shuangyashan Company") in Heilongjiang Province around 3:00 PM on November 28. As of 4:00 PM that day, it was initially understood that the incident had resulted in several people going missing, with rescue operations underway.
A staff member of the Shuangyashan City Emergency Management Bureau responded to Interface News in the afternoon of November 28, stating that the accident occurred at 3:45 PM. The bureau's leaders were accompanying rescue personnel to the site, and the number of missing persons was not yet clear.
Public records indicate that roof collapse accidents can include various types, such as rock burst and open-pit mine slope collapse. Rock burst, a dynamic phenomenon involving sudden and violent destruction of rock mass around mine shafts or workfaces due to the instantaneous release of elastic deformation energy, can lead to coal and rock ejection, loud noises, and air blasts, and may even trigger water inrush and gas explosions, posing a significant hazard in coal mining.
Tianyancha APP reveals that Longmay Shuangyashan Company, established in 2014 and located in Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province, has over 10,000 employees and a registered capital of 1.674 billion yuan. It is a member of the Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group and primarily engages in coal mining and washing. The company is controlled by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the People's Government of Heilongjiang Province.
Interface News noted that in the past three years, Longmay Shuangyashan Company has received dozens of administrative penalties from the Mine Safety Supervision Bureau and the Heilongjiang Provincial Coal Production Safety Administration for violating safety production regulations. These violations include individual hydraulic supports at coal mining faces not being properly positioned, lack of protective railings on certain equipment, and failure to conduct daily inspections of overhead passenger devices, resulting in fines totaling 5.5556 million yuan.
In November alone, the company was penalized three times by the Heilongjiang Provincial Coal Production Safety Administration. On November 10, the administration issued a 30,000 yuan fine to the company for numerous violations, including breaching the "Notice on Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Rock Burst in Coal Mines" issued by the National Coal Mine Safety Administration. The specific details of this violation were not disclosed.
The "Notice on Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Rock Burst in Coal Mines," issued by the Coal Mine Safety Administration in May 2019, mandates enhanced source control of rock burst in coal mines, strict definition of mines prone to rock burst, strict control over the production scale of such mines (not exceeding 8 million tons per year), strict implementation of proactive prevention measures, reinforced support in mine tunnels, enhanced production labor organization management, and intensified supervision and inspection of mines prone to rock burst.
Interface News observed that in recent years, rock burst accidents in coal mines have often resulted in multiple fatalities. For instance, on June 9, 2019, a rock burst at Longjiapu Mining Co., Ltd. in Jilin Province caused a 2.3 magnitude seismic event (mine tremor), with 324 people underground at the time. Although 303 safely ascended, the accident resulted in 9 deaths and 12 injuries. Previously, on October 20, 2018, a rock burst at Shandong Longyao Coal Industry Co., Ltd. trapped 22 people underground, resulting in 21 deaths and 1 person rescued.
Notably, the day before the accident, November 27, was the "Safety Warning Education Day" at Longmay Shuangyashan Company. The title of the day's video activity was "Everyone Learns from Accident Lessons, Everyone Maintains Safe Production." The video showed that the Shuangyang Coal Mine had also held a safety warning event.
