Rescuers are seen at the Sunjiawan colliery in Fuxin in northeast China’s Liaoning Province yesterday, a day after a gas explosion in the coal mine killed at least 203 miners.—Xinhua

　　A gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northeast killed at least 203 miners, making it the deadliest mining disaster reported in the country since 1949.
　　The explosion Monday afternoon at the Sunjiawan mine in Liaoning Province also injured 29 others and trapped 12 people underground. A rescue team of more than 180 people was working to free the trapped workers last night.
　　One miner was rescued yesterday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the blast, which occurred 242 meters below ground at the Sunjiawan colliery of the state-owned Fuxin Coal Industry Group.
　　Dozens of miners wearing hard hats, dusty uniforms and long faces gathered at the entrance to the mine shaft, waiting for news of missing colleagues.
　　"We have never seen such a big accident before," said an official at Fuxin's Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau.
　　"The rescue operations are still going on and the coal mine is still verifying the condition of workers," he said. "We still don't know the real cause of the (blast) because the formal investigation has yet to start."
　　Workers reported feeling a sudden, strong tremor shaking the mine 10 minutes before the blast, according to Zhang Yunfu, vice general manager of Fuxin Coal industry Group.
　　Moments later, gas detectors lost their signals and one of the mine's main pits filled with smoke.
　　President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders issued orders for local officials "to spare no effort to rescue those stranded in the mine." They called for strict measures to prevent any more such disasters.
　　The 29 injured suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, burns and fractures. All were in stable condition, except for one who was in a coma because of a head injury caused by flying debris.
　　Some 30 family members of the victims had also been hospitalized due to deep grief.
　　A work team led by State Councilor Hua Jianmin arrived at the blast site yesterday morning, to supervise the rescue work and deal with the aftermath.
　　Hua, together with Li Keqiang and Zhang Wenyue, two top leaders of Liaoning Province, inspected the coal mine and expressed the concerns of the Party and state leaders.
　　Hua has given specific instructions for the rescue, treatment and investigation work. He said that no efforts will be spared to rescue the trapped and injured.
　　Local governments and the coal mine industry group are told to do their best to compensate the families of the victims, and ensure stability in the region.
　　Hua also said an investigation group will be set up to probe the cause of the blaze.
　　Fuxin is one of China's oldest coal mining regions, and many of its mines have already been depleted. Miners in many such regions must tunnel far underground to reach coal seams, and the risk of explosion due to methane gas is high.
　　The Sunjiawan colliery, with 3,100 workers, has two coal mines. The Haizhou coal mine is the one where the disaster took place.
　　The Haizhou coal mine has an annual output of 1.5 million tons.
　　China has suffered a string of deadly mining disasters in recent months despite a nationwide safety campaign.
　　A blast in the northwestern province of Shaanxi in November killed 166 miners. Another explosion in October killed 148. Before that, the deadliest reported mining accident in recent years was a fire in southern China that killed 162 miners in 2000.
　　Last month, Premier Wen Jiabao visited some of the families of the 166 miners killed in Shaanxi, crying during the visit and saying the accident was a "lesson paid for with blood."
　　(AP/Xinhua)