Coal mine closures continue

China will close 5,290 coal mines following safety inspections in 2005 as part of a campaign to reduce deaths in the industry, the government announced Thursday. Official estimates earlier predicted 4,000 mines would be shut. China has about 34,000 coal mines, 24,000 of which are small mines producing 10,000 to 30,000 tons of coal a year. Small, unlicensed mines account for the majority of the estimated 5,000 deaths in China’s mining industry each year.