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Rescue Operation Going on in Ill-Fated Northeast China Coal Mine

Posted on: Monday, 28 November 2005, 15:00 CST

Rescue operation going on in ill-fated northeast China coal mine

HARBIN, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-three more miners have been rescued at a local coal mine of Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province where a fatal explosion happened Sunday night, bringing the total number of saved miners to 65.

Altogether 221 miners were working underground when the blast went off at 9:40 p.m. Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine run by the Qitaihe branch of the Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd., sources with the provincial coal mine safety bureau said Monday.

A 126-member rescue team has been going all-out to search for the miners trapped beneath the coal mine shaft after the blast. Rescuers have saved 65 miners and found 30 dead bodies down the pit.

Investigators said the tragedy was caused by coal-dust explosion, which knocked out all ventilation systems in the pit. As of Monday morning, the main ventilation system resumed operation.

Longmei Group is a mining conglomerate of four state-owned major coal businesses in the province. It has a registered capital of 13 billion yuan (1.6 billion US dollars).

Rescue operation for other trapped miners is carried out in a tense manner.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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