China to probe reported stadium deaths

Workers mingle at a construction site in front of the National Stadium in Beijing yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

China pledged yesterday to investigate a report that officials covered up the deaths of at least 10 workers building the main stadium for the Beijing Olympics in August.

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper alleged that the workers died as safety standards slipped during a rush to complete the 90,000-seat National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest.

"This is the first I have heard of this," Li Yizhong (李毅中), China's work safety minister, told a press conference.

"I will ask the Beijing work safety watchdog to conduct an investigation and if this is found to be the case, severe punishment will be administered according to the law," he said.

The Sunday Times cited several unnamed witnesses to the deaths and alleged that officials had paid unusually high amounts of compensation to silence the families of dead employees.

Officials have never admitted to a single death on any of the dozens of Olympic construction sites.

DISMISSAL

Earlier, Sun Weide (孫維德), spokesman for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee, dismissed the report as untrue.

He said safety standards were rigorous and there was no rush to complete any venues for the Games, which run from Aug. 8 to Aug. 24.

Of the 37 arenas, 36 have already been finished while the National Stadium is scheduled to be completed by April.

"Construction of the National Stadium is going according to plan and under proper safety standards," Sun added.

Li called on people and the media yesterday to expose workplace accidents in a bid to use public pressure to ferret out the corruption and official misdeeds aggravating the country's high rate of work deaths.

Li said public whistle-blowing provides crucial clues needed by investigators, who are often hobbled by cover-ups by local officials, especially on accidents that occur in coal mines.

"We welcome the public's supervision. We welcome the reports made by people to expose corruption," Li told reporters at a news conference. "According to some tips, for example, we have found government officials who made unlawful investments in coal mines."

BAD RECORD

China has a woeful if improving record on safety, with 111,480 deaths in accidents last year. Chinese coal mines are the world's deadliest, with 3,786 miners killed, a figure that marks a 20 percent improvement from 2006.

However, the figure is believed by experts to understate casualties as mine owners and officials hide accidents to avoid costly investigations and penalties.