20 dead in China coal mine gas leak
November 10th, 2011 - 11:57 pm ICT by IANSBeijing, Nov 10 (IANS) At least 20 miners died and 23 others were trapped after a coal-mine gas leak accident occurred in China’s southwest province of Yunnan Thursday, Xinhua reported. The mine was being illegally operated.
The accident occurred around 6.30 a.m. at the Sizhuang Coal Mine in Shizong county of Qujing city, the Yunnan Provincial Emergency Response Office said in a statement.
Ventilation machines were being used til evening to pump excessive methane gas out from the shaft while hundreds of rescuers were taking turns to descend into the pit to find the trapped miners at Sizhuang Coal Mine near the city of Qujing in Yunnan province.
Preliminary investigations showed that the gas leak occurred at a platform inside the shaft but gas later spread to another platform, trapping 43 miners in the two areas.
The privately-run Sizhuang Coal Mine reports an annual of 90,000 tonnes.
The accident was the second deadly disaster to hit China’s dangerous mining sector in a week. Last Thursday, a rock collapse occurred in a coal mine in central Henan province, triggered by a 2.9-magnitude earthquake. Eight miners were killed but 53 others, including 45 who had been trapped underground for 40 hours, were saved in a miracle rescue.
- Toll reaches 28 in China coal mine gas leak - Nov 12, 2011
- Six dead in central China coal mine gas leak - Nov 16, 2011
- Struggle to rescue 22 trapped miners in China - Nov 11, 2011
- Seven trapped Chinese miners found alive - Nov 19, 2011
- China coal mine accident toll reaches 30 - Nov 13, 2011
- Death toll from Central China's mine accident reaches 26 - Oct 17, 2010
- Death toll from China's coal mine accident reaches 31 - Oct 18, 2010
- 45 trapped miners rescued from Chinese coal mine - Nov 05, 2011
- 20 killed in China mine accident - Oct 16, 2010
- Seven killed in China mine collapse - Feb 20, 2012
- China coal mine gas leak toll rises to 30 - Oct 18, 2010
- Gas explosion at southwest China mine kills at least 7 - Oct 29, 2010
- Rescue work continues for 19 trapped miners in China - Jul 03, 2011
- Shaft collapses at coal mine in southwest China, killing 5 - Sep 25, 2011
- Five die in China mine collapse - Sep 25, 2011
Tags: beijing, china coal mine, coal mine gas, collapse, deadly disaster, emergency response office, gas leak, henan province, last thursday, magnitude earthquake, methane gas, provincial emergency, rescuers, shaft, southwest province, trapped miners, two areas, ventilation, xinhua, yunnan