At least 203 miners were killed, 22 injured and 13 trapped in a
coal mine gas explosion Monday afternoon in Fuxin, a city in
northeast China's Liaoning
Province.
Zhang Yunfu, vice general manager of the Fuxin coal industry
group said the work operation was normal Monday morning, and a coal
mine quake took place at 2:50 p.m. at the No.3316 working face of
Sunjiawan colliery of the Fuxin coal industry group.
The gas blast occurred at about 3:00 p.m. about 242 meters
underground.
Rescue operation began immediately and further investigation is
underway.
Officials from the provincial government, Fuxin and other
relevant departments have rushed to the mine.
The designed yearly production capacity of Sunjiawan colliery is
1.5 million tons.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2005)
