The remains of 206 miners killed in Monday's coal mine gas
explosion in Fuxin City, northeast China's Liaoning
Province, have been brought to the surface, rescuers said on
Wednesday.
The confirmed death toll has risen to 212, with 29 others
injured and?three more still missing, according to the
headquarters dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy.
The blast occurred at about 3:00 PM Monday, 242 meters
underground in the Haizhou mine of the Sunjiawan colliery.
Three hundred and?thirty of the 574 miners working at the
time escaped, while 244 were trapped in the shaft.
The All-China
Federation of Trade Unions has donated 1 million yuan
(US$120,000) to the victims' relatives, and the provincial union
has contributed 200,000 yuan (US$24,096). The first cash donation
offered by city government workers and Party officials has also
reached the relatives.
Doctors said 27 of the injured are in stable condition. Medical
experts from the provincial capital have been called in to consult
on the other two, who were seriously injured.
On Tuesday, a day after the Liaoning blast, another coal mine
explosion in southwest China's Yunnan
Province killed 27 and injured 14.
The explosion occurred at an unlicensed mine in Songlin village,
Fuyuan County, at about 4:10 PM according to Xu Jian'an, deputy
director of the Yunnan Provincial Administration on Coal Mine
Safety.
Investigation into the cause of the blast is underway.
(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2005)