As of Monday noon, the death toll of a colliery explosion on
Sunday night in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province had risen
to 68, with?79 people still missing, according to the local
coalmine safety watchdog.
221 miners were working underground when the blast occurred at
9:40 PM Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine run by the Qitaihe branch of
the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining (Group) Co. Ltd., the provincial
coal mine safety administration told Xinhua.
A 269-member rescue team has been going all-out to search for
the miners trapped in the shaft. Rescuers have found 74
miners,?52 of whom have been hoisted to the ground, according
to the rescue headquarters.
Investigators said the coal-dust explosion disabled all
ventilation systems in the pit. By Monday morning, the main
ventilation system was in operation again.
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 (US$1.6 billion).
Rescue operations continue.
(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2005)