Blast at India Coal Mine Traps 53 Miners

PATNA, India – An explosion at a coal mine in eastern India trapped 53 miners on Thursday, a local official said.

The explosion occurred Wednesday night at the state-owned Bharat Coking Coal Limited mine, about 95 miles west of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, local town administrator Beela Rajesh said.

Four people managed to escape from the mine and were hospitalized, and rescuers were searching for 53 miners still trapped inside, Rajesh said.