24 miners die as underground gas surge hits Henan colliery
4/8/2005 11:47
Ji Mi/Shanghai Daily news
Police detained a mine
official yesterday after a sudden surge of gas fatally poisoned 24 miners and
injured seven at a small colliery in central China's Henan Province the day
before. Police were also searching for four other officials who worked for
the Yuzhou City mine. Five of the injured were listed in serious condition
yesterday. The privately run Xingfa Coal Mine reportedly received clearance
from the city's coal industry authority to carry out underground maintenance
work on Tuesday morning. However, mine operators sent a team of 43 men into
the shaft to mine coal about 4pm, the Yuzhou City Coal Industry Administration
said. Around 10:30pm, gas surged into the shaft. Rescuers cut off the power
supply to the shaft and intensified ventilation to reduce the content of
underground gas. At 1am yesterday, when the gas dropped to a safe level, 12
rescuers went down and brought out 19 trapped miners. The bodies of the dead
were removed from the mine yesterday afternoon, officials said. Police
yesterday detained the mine's director Li Weixing. The colliery produces 60,000
tons of coal a year, according to local authorities.
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