A fatal coal and gas outburst at the Nantong Coal Mine in Chongqing
Municipality, Southwest China, killed 13 miners and injured six
others on Thursday.
Eight miners are still missing and six others were injured. The
identities of the miners were not yet confirmed.
Workers barely had time to escape the estimated 2,210 tons of coal
and more than 600,000 cubic meters of gas that poured over them,
said An Yuanjie, an official with the State Administration of Work
Safety Supervision.
Meanwhile, the mine quickly organized six rescue panels into the
pits, said Jiang Lianfu, an employee at the Nantong Mining Bureau
which oversees the mine.
The chance of survival for the missing miners are slim, An
said.
Among the rescued survivors one was seriously hurt but stable while
five were slightly injured, Jiang said.
He
added investigations are being conducted by the bureau to find out
what caused the blast and the extent of the damage.
It's possible poor ventilation equipment may have contributed to
the accident, said a researcher with the China Coal Information
Institute.
Headed by Mayor Bao Xuding, officials from concerned departments of
Chongqing rushed to the accident site and visited the injured at
hospital.
The mining bureau was ordered to stop production to improve
conditions on Thursday night.
(China
Daily February 2, 2002)