Investigation of a gas blast that claimed six lives in a coal
mine in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China,
on Sunday was still underway, according to local coal mine safety
watchdog on Friday.
The accident happened at about 8 AM on Sunday in the Shenghuo
Coal Mine, a town-owned coal mining unit in Hulun Buir, killing six
miners who were said to be carrying out technical upgrading
underground, said an official with the Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Regional Bureau of Coal Mine Safety.
The authorities of the coal mine first managed to organize
rescue operation on their own. Three of the rescuers were slightly
poisoned by carbon monoxide in the process of rescue operation.
The poisoned rescuers were being treated in a local
hospital.
The regional coal mine authorities received report on the
accident on Monday and immediately sent rescuers to the accident
site.
Shenghuo coal mine has an annually production capacity of 60,000
tons.
(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2007)