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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | February 2007 
A Year After Mexican Mine Explosion, Safety Problems Remain
 Associated Press
| | Although the tragedy sparked a national outcry, no concrete measures have been taken to improve miners' safety. |
San Juan de Sabinas, Mexico - Using picks, shovels and even their hands, hundreds of miners working around the clock to recover the remains of all 65 people killed in a mine blast a year ago have made painstakingly slow progress.
In that year, little has been done to improve conditions in the nation's mines. There are still too few inspectors, and state officials allege that corruption among the inspectors has kept international standards from being enforced.
An official cause for the explosion on Feb. 19, 2006, that collapsed much of the Pasta de Conchos mine in northern Mexico has yet to be determined. But investigators found problems with the mine's ventilation system and some miners say that gas detectors designed to automatically shut down the mines in dangerous situations were routinely tampered with by the miners themselves.
A special prosecutor is recommending charges of negligent homicide against 11 mine officials and federal government inspectors.
Although the tragedy sparked a national outcry, no concrete measures have been taken to improve miners' safety, and Mexico's powerful trade unions have proved to be feeble advocates for greater protections.
"That mine has no remedy because they never took precautions, and I doubt they will start now," said Ricardo Ramirez, a 25-year-old miner who survived the disaster and still has nightmares about the explosion. He said he doubts anything will change, despite promises from the Labor Department to improve conditions.
In January, a coal miner was crushed to death and four others were injured after the collapse of a mine shaft in Nueva Rosita, a town neighboring San Juan de Sabinas, renewing demands by state authorities to increase inspections.
Only five inspectors are responsible for more than 100 coal mines in Coahuila state, where the mine is located, despite requests by the state government to increase the number of inspectors.
Grupo Mexico SA de CV, a railroad and mining giant with operations in Mexico, Peru and the United States, insists the mine met all safety standards and denies that safety precautions were ignored. As for the cause, the company says they have to reach the spot where the blast originated before drawing any conclusions.
The company made a one-time payment of US$75,000 (€57,000) to miners' families and gives them weekly payments of about US$350 (€266), but does not plan to reopen the mine. Only two bodies have been recovered, and because a more rapid mechanized search could ignite explosive gases, experts say it could be years before all the bodies are removed.
Six months ago, Rolando Alcocer, whose 54-year-old brother was killed in the blast, moved to a tent outside the mine's gates. Nearby is a makeshift altar where a glass case holds photos of the 65 dead miners, surrounded by votive candles and plastic flowers.
"I want them to see that we have not forgotten and that we will not leave until they give us our relatives," Alcocer said. "They said that, at the most, we would get the bodies in six months and we are still waiting."
Relatives plan to gather at the mine Sunday night for a vigil, followed by a Mass on Monday. Supporters of ousted union leader, Napoleon Gomez Urrutia, said they will strike Monday to mark the anniversary of what Gomez has dubbed "industrial homicide."
Gomez himself has been a divisive figure in the disaster: He is being investigated for allegations of fraud and corruption, and his slow response after the explosion enraged workers' families.
But thousands in the 250,000-member Mining and Metal workers union he represented went on strike in March after the federal government ordered his arrest for allegedly misappropriating US$55 million (€43 million) paid to the union in a 1990 privatization of two copper mines. The government then certified a rival leader of the union.
Supporters of Gomez, who fled to Canada, say he is being persecuted for alleging a government cover up for Grupo Mexico's negligence.
Special prosecutor Jorge Rios, who plans to present his case in the coming weeks to a Coahuila state judge who will determine if charges can be filed, said federal inspectors knew of safety problems months before the explosion but failed to take action. "Their obligation was to avoid an explosive atmosphere, and they did not do that," Rios said.
On the Net: Grupo Mexico: http://www.gmexico.com |
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