Chen Jianhui, director of south China's Guangdong Provincial Administration of Work Safety, made an apology about the Daxing mine accident Monday on a national coal mine safety conference.

The flooding accident, took place on Aug.7, left 123 miners trapped whose survival chances are very slim.

The official said the accident brought great losses and exerted very bad influences both home and abroad.

"Facing the unredeemable lives of the miners, I feel deeply grieved. We are here sincerely examining our mistakes before the State Administration of Work Safety and State Administration of Coal Mine Safety Supervision."

Chen said the accident reveals many oversights in the coal mine safety supervision work.

He asked all levels of work safety administrations in Guangdong to be fully aware of the complexity and ponderance of all sorts of coal mine accidents and strengthen the issuing procedures of the safety production permits.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2005)