Rescuers recovered seven more bodies after a Wednesday
coal mine blast in north China's coal-rich Shanxi Province, bringing the total deaths to
26, local authorities said Thursday.
The gas explosion occurred at around 11:30?AM Wednesday at
the Yujialing Coal Mine located at the Yipingyuan Township, Yaodu
District of Linfen City, about 300 km southwest of Taiyuan, the
provincial capital.
106 miners were working underground, and only 80 managed to
escape and survive, including one who was injured severely and is
being treated in hospital, according to the local rescue team led
by deputy governor of Shanxi Jin Shanzhong.
The rest 26 who were trapped in the mine have all been confirmed
dead, rescuers said.
Zhou Xiaogen, the mine owner, Li Mingshun, the manager and
several others have been held in custody, local police said.
Preliminary investigation showed working conditions in the mine
were very unsafe and chaotic before the accident occurred, the
police said.
The coal mine claimed its annual output capacity is 150,000
tons, but its license, which showed an annual capacity of 90,000
tons, had expired for production before the accident occurred,
according to local coal mine safety authorities.
This is the second coal mine gas explosion in Shanxi, China's
major coal producing base, in 10 days. Twenty-one miners were
killed in another gas blast at Miaojiang Coal Mine in Jincheng City
on March 18.
(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2007)
