MAC: Mines and Communities

Killing for coal in Kyrgyzstan

Published by MAC on 2007-01-13


Killing for coal in Kyrgyzstan

13th January 2007

Little is heard about working conditions in central Asian mines. But two commissions set up by the Kyrgyzstan government have painted a picture of the republic's coal industry as appalling as that in much of China. Slaving for as little as US$10 a month (sic) workers are reportedly sometimes sent down the shafts without any prior training, safety equipment, lamps - or even helmets.

Officially thirty miners have died in accidents over the last three years - the latest in December 2006. However, the true figure is certainly much higher.

- And all this to produce only a quarter of a million tonnes of coal a year.

Home | About Us | Companies | Countries | Minerals | Contact Us
© Mines and Communities 2013. Web site by Zippy Info