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Hope slim for 141 in Shaanxi mine, 25 dead
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-29 15:13
Toxic gas hampered the search for 141 trapped coal miners Monday following an
explosion in central China, and an official said their chances of survival were
"extremely slight." At least 25 people were confirmed dead.
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| A rescued miner is moved to a medical vehicle at the mine
gate. [newsphoto] | | High
levels of carbon monoxide kept rescuers from reaching the site of Sunday's
disaster in Shaanxi province, the Xinhua News Agency said.
An official at the Shaanxi coal mine safety bureau said hope was fading fast
for the trapped miners.
"The rescue effort has been extremely difficult due to large concentrations
of carbon monoxide," said the official, who would give only his last name, Chen.
"From my own experience the odds that the 141 still underground remain alive are
extremely slight."
Some 127 workers managed to escape the mine, said the State Bureau of
Production Safety. Some 45 were hospitalized, 11 with serious injuries.
The blast rocked Chenjiashan coal mine at 7:20 a.m. on Sunday, when 293
workers were underground. The explosion was centered around coal pits five miles
from the mine entrance.
Most of the miners who escaped were working close to the entrance, and many
suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. High levels of carbon monoxide was
preventing rescuers from reaching parts of the tunnels.
Witnesses said they saw "huge amounts of thick smoke pouring from the mine's
ventilation vents," hampering rescue efforts, according to the Website of the
People's Daily.
Staff at Chenjiashan said communications with the trapped miners were cut
off, the site said.
A miner's wife is
offered help by local officials and police outside the Chenjiashan Coal
Mine in Shaanxi Province, where 141 miners were still trapped
underground by a gas explosion yesterday.
[newsphoto] |
President Hu Jintao urged rescuers to employ "all effective measures" to save
the trapped workers, China Central Television said.
Premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived at the ASEAN summit in Laos on Sunday, said
he was "extremely upset" over the accident.
He said the cause of the explosion would be thoroughly investigated and the
government would continue to push for safer working conditions in the mines.
Chenjiashan is capable of producing 1.3 million tons of coal a year.
The government has vowed to improve conditions and frequently orders mass
shutdowns and safety checks after a fatal mine accident.
Chinese officials have suggested that a countrywide energy shortage may be
pressuring the mining industry to raise coal production.
The worst mining accident in four years occurred last month, when a massive
explosion in the Daping Mine in central Henan province left 148 people dead.
It was sparked after mine operators failed to realize that extending the
mine's shaft would greatly increase its gas level.
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