A total of 18 miners injured in a coal mine blast which killed
104 in north China's Shanxi Province were doing well in hospitals,
sources said on Saturday.
Four seriously injured miners were being treated in Linfen City
Hospital while the others were in hospitals in Hongtong County.
They all showed symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as
headaches, fainting and lack of strength, according to doctors with
Hongtong County Surgical Hospital which admitted six of the miners.
They have been recovering well after treatment, the doctors
said.
A gas explosion happened at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Xinyao
Coal Mine, a village-run coal mining venture in Hongtong, Linfen
City. A total of 15 workers either escaped or were rescued later. A
total of 104 miners have been confirmed dead.
"I feel much better now after treatment in the past two days,"
said Yao Liujie, a 21-year-old miner from southwestern Chongqing
Municipality.
Police have detained 33 people who are alleged to be relevant to
or responsible for the fatal gas explosion. The Ministry of Public
Security issued a class-B arrest warrant for the owner of the mine.
Among those detained are the mine's manager Gao Jianmin and its
legal representative. Wang Hongliang.
Compensation discussions with the families of the 104 dead
miners are under way, a local official said Saturday.
"Given the relatively large number of victims, a considerable
sum of money is needed according to current regulations," said Jin
Tingrui, head of the publicity department of Hongtong.
He said relevant government departments would raise money from
various channels for the economic compensations.
Jin said the Hongtong government was writing to families of the
victims offering its condolences.
The cause of the blast is still being investigated.
(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2007)