Death toll from China coal mine blast rises to 31
18/6/2008 15:47
The death toll from a coal mine blast in north China's Shanxi Province
rose to 31 as rescuers retrieved three more bodies early today.
Rescuers
found one body at 4 a.m. and another two at 7 a.m. under the main shaft of the
Anxin Coal Mining Co Ltd mine in Xiaoyi City.
The three bodies were pulled
out.
An explosion occurred in the mine at about 11 am Friday when 58 miners
were working underground. Fifteen managed to escape and another nine were saved
by rescuers.
As of 7 am today, rescuers had recovered the bodies of 31 miners
and were still searching for the remaining three.
Illegal homemade
explosives, which were concealed in the colliery tunnel, ignited on their own
and triggered the blast, said Shanxi Vice Governor Zhang Jianmin today.
Zhao
Tiechui, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety's director, said an
initial analysis showed Anxin had many problems. These ranged from the use of
explosives unsuitable for mining to excessive production.
The company also
illegally mined unapproved areas and had poor ventilation facilities.
Police
detained four people -- the mine's chief and legal representative Tian Yun, a
deputy chief and two workers in charge of blasting
operations.
Xinhua
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