Twenty-seven of the 28 miners injured in a gas
blast that killed 32 in southwest China at the weekend have been
described by doctors as out of danger, including four discharged
from hospital.
However, one miner, You Chaofu, a local of Fuyuan
County, Yunnan Province, is still in a critical
condition.
You was the last miner rescued from the pit in
Fuyuan county after the explosion at 5:17 PM on Saturday. His
breathing and heartbeat had stopped when he arrived at
hospital.
The central government has urged the provincial
government to further strengthen inspections of work safety and
close all illegal coal mines across the province.
Changyuan Coal Mine, about 25 km from the seat of
Fuyuan County, is a privately owned business established more than
two years ago. The mine is said to have reserves of 6.02 million
tons.
The accident resulted from the mine's illegal
operation, local sources said Sunday.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2006)