Eleven ministries and institutes under the central government have established a coordination office to stem the country's rampant coal mine accidents, according to the State Development and Reform Commission(SDRC).
  
"To control gas explosion is not a job that could be done alone, it needs wisdom and strength from various aspects charged by different ministries," said Zhang Guobao, vice minister with SDRC.
  
The office will send safety supervision groups to the site of 45 serious mine explosions, set up expert teams to conduct safety assessments for the disaster-plagued mines and oversee the allocation of three billion yuan (US$361 million) to safety improvement projects, according to Zhang.   
  
The General Administration of Work Safety (GAWS), the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the People's Bank of China, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Environmental Protection Administration and the State Development Bank are all involved in the office.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2005)