Mine blast toll reaches 79
13/7/2005 11:47
Shanghai Daily news
Rescuers yesterday found the bodies of another 14 coal miners killed in the
gas blast in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, pushing the death toll to
79. Four miners were saved and rushed to hospital on Monday when the
explosion rocked the Shenlong colliery in Fukang City about 2:30am. Fukang is
about 62 kilometers northeast of the regional capital of Urumqi. A search
continued last night for the remaining four workers, reported the People's Daily
on its Website yesterday. Rescuers said there was a slim chance they
survived. Meanwhile, police detained an unspecified number of people managing
the facility that operated without a safety license. High levels of gas in a
mine shaft prevented rescuers from searching for the remaining victims. An
emergency response team was ventilating the shaft to avoid another
explosion. Investigators said the gas content often exceeded the safety level
several days before the mishap, but management at the mine failed to
respond. The missing men were about 200 meters underground, according to Tian
Weiguang, a top Xinjiang mine safety supervisor. Each victims' family will
receive compensation of 200,000 yuan (US$24,000).
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