Nineteen people have been confirmed dead and seven others are
still missing after a coal mine gas explosion in north China's Shanxi Province on Wednesday, local
authorities said.
The bodies of the dead have been recovered and rescuers, led by
deputy Shanxi provincial governor Jin Shanzhong, are struggling to
search for the missing people at the Yujialing Coal Mine located at
the Yipingyuan Township, Yaodu District of Linfen City, about 300
km southwest of Taiyuan, the provincial capital.
The gas explosion occurred at around 11:30 AM Wednesday when 106
miners were working underground, and 80 managed to escape,
including one who was injured severely and is being treated,
rescuers said.
The coal mine reports an annual output capacity of 150,000 tons
but its licence for production had expired before the accident
happened, according to local coal mine safety authorities.
This is the second coal mine gas explosion in Shanxi, a major
coal producing province, 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)
