17 dead, police GPS tracks mine officials
21/11/2005 11:57
Shanghai Daily news
Rescuers yesterday confirmed 17
men were killed in two separate coal mine mishaps in Hebei and Guizhou provinces
and said they were trying to reach another 13. Police detained at least five
officials and safety employees. In Guizhou's Shuicheng County, rescue workers
retrieved the bodies of 10 miners from the Shagou Coal Mine. Another six miners
were feared killed. A gas blast rocked the mine on Friday morning, trapping
16 workers, the provincial coal mine administration said. Twenty-five men were
underground at the time, and nine of them escaped. The mine owner Su Xuchu,
production director Chen Shirong and two safety executives were detained,
authorities said. Su, Chen and other mine officials fled but the global
positioning system helped police find some of them. Police were seeking Li
Xindong and Su Xiankun, two deputy directors, and Su Mingxing, a safety
employee. The mine was operating illegally; it has been ordered suspended
while upgrading its capacity from 30,000 tons to 60,000 tons. In Hebei
Province, meanwhile, authorities in Neiqiu County yesterday found seven workers
dead in a mine that flooded on Saturday. Another seven were missing in the
Yuanda Coal Mine. The business owner was detained and his bank account
frozen.
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