Shanghai Daily reported that overloading was to blame for a coal mine accident that killed 20 miners in northwest China's Gansu Province

Company sources said the cable that snapped was replaced on July 29, but an initial investigation suggested the carriages were overloaded

Two carriages with 34 people on board slipped 150 meters and overturned when a steel cable pulling them up a 28 degree 704 meter slope broke 80 meters from the entrance to the pit in the city of Baiyin.

Officials said the coal mine, run by Qusheng Coal Mining Co, was operating illegally, as it was one of 55 that safety authorities had ordered to halt production. The order was part of an industry reorganization that was incorporating 55 small mines into 10 larger ones

The Qusheng pit began operation in 2003 and had a designed annual output of 90,000 tonnes.

Source - Shanghai Daily

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