32 miners killed in different coal mine accidents in China

About 90 miners were working under the ground when a gas explosion occurred at a coal pit privately owned mine.

The blast killed eight miners underground and four on the surface. Another two persons were killed in the collapse of structures on the ground as a result of the explosion.

State-owned Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying that 50 miners were rescued, leaving about 32 still trapped underground. The mine is being illegally run and its owner Wang Guozheng, is absconding.

Just as rescuers made frantic efforts to save the trapped miners, yet another mine accident took place in northwest China's Shaanxi Province were nine miners were killed in a fire accident, according to the provincial government today.

Twenty-seven miners were working underground when the fire occurred at around 7 pm yesterday in the Quanzigou Coal Mine in Longmen Township, Hancheng City.
Among them, 17 were brought out safely, an official said.

One injured miner has been rushed to hospital.
Meanwhile, news from Nanning in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said four people died of carbon monoxide poisoning after self-made explosives detonated in an illegal mine shaft yesterday.

One rescuer was poisoned by the gas and had been taken to hospital, Guangxi Public Security Department said.

Five people were trapped underground after a coal mine was flooded yesterday afternoon in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, the provincial coal mine work safety authorities said this morning.

Meanwhile, efforts are still on to rescue 153 miners who are trapped underground since Sunday in a flooded coal mine in north China's Shanxi province. Nearly 1,000 rescuers have been working round-the-clock to pump out water and trying to reach them, officials said.