At least 42 miners have been killed and dozens are still trapped underground following a gas blast at a mine in northeast China.
There were 528 people working in the mine when the blast occurred in the pre-dawn darkness on Saturday morning but at least 399 have been rescued.129 miners are either dead, trapped or otherwise unaccounted for
ITN (UK) reported earlier today. It has been confirmed that at least 42 are dead.
Xinhua China News Digest tersely reported at 16:00 GMT, Nov. 21: "A gas explosion in a coal mine in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has killed 42 miners and left 66 missing, said Zhang Jinguang, a spokesman with the rescue headquarters." This is the most current estimate of casualties available at this time.
The state media agency,
Xinhua reported that the explosion occurred at the Xinxing mine: "The Xinxing mine is in Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia. It is owned by the Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group, and produces 12 million tonnes of coal a year."
Associated Press noted earlier today that winter temperatures and difficult weather are hampering rescue efforts, "Rescuers working in frigid cold and darkness tried to reach 66 people believed trapped a third of a mile (half a kilometer) underground..." The AP also stated that nighttime temperatures are expected to fall to -10 degrees Celsius.
China's mining industry is the the world's deadliest. The AP report cited shocking statistics:
Major accidents persist. In the first nine months of this year, China's coal mines had 11 such incidents with 303 deaths. Gas explosions were the leading cause, the government said. A blast at the Tunlan coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province in February killed 77 people in China's worst industrial accident in a year.
Continuing coverage will detail the ongoing rescue efforts.
