JOIN USMine blast kills 4, traps 50 in China
Four miners were killed when the cave-in blasted rock into the mine shaft on Thursday evening and 14 managed to escape, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The rock explosion happened just after a small earthquake shook the mine in the city of Sanmenxia in Henan province.
State broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers with helmets and oxygen tanks carrying the seven found alive on Friday afternoon from a mine elevator as waiting officials applauded and medical staff rushed to attend to them.
The rescued miners lay on stretchers, wrapped with blankets with their eyes covered by towels to prevent them from being damaged by the sudden exposure to light after hours of being trapped.
Xinhua said six had minor injuries but one was seriously hurt.
At least 200 workers were digging a small rescue tunnel about 1,650 feet deep to try to reach the trapped miners, the People’s Daily newspaper said. There have been no reports of communication with the trapped miners.
The mine belongs to Yima Coal Group, a large state-owned coal company in Henan, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its website.