19 miners have been confirmed dead and two others are missing
after Monday morning's colliery gas blast in north China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region.
As of Tuesday night, rescuers had recovered the bodies of 19
victims. They are still searching for the two miners who remain
trapped in the collapsed shafts of Rongsheng Colliery in Jiudonggou
Village of Otog Banner in the southwest.
Rescuers said that the blast caused a cave-in that has
reportedly blocked all exits and weakened the shaft
structure.?
One miner was rescued on Tuesday morning, bringing the total
number of survivors to 13. 34 miners were working underground at
the time of the blast.
Rongsheng Colliery, located in resource-rich Wuhai City, is a
privately owned mine with an annual production capacity of 900,000
tons. Investigators have found that it was operating without a
safety production license.
(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2006)