50 Trapped in China Mine Cave-In

Rescuers pull 7 from rubble; 4 killed
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 4, 2011 9:01 AM CDT
50 Trapped in China Mine Cave-In
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, rescuers carry an injured miner out of the Qianqiu Coal Mine of Yima Coal Group in Sanmenxia City, central China's Henan Province, Nov. 4, 2011.   (Zhu Xiang)

Rescuers pulled seven injured miners to the surface today and were trying to reach 50 others trapped after a cave-in at a coal mine in central China, state media reported. Four miners were killed when the cave-in blasted rock into the mine shaft last night and 14 managed to escape, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The rock explosion happened just after a small earthquake shook near the mine in the city of Sanmenxia in Henan province.

Xinhua said six of the seven miners pulled out today had minor injuries but one was seriously hurt. At least 200 workers are 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. Last Sunday, a gas explosion at a coal mine in central China's Hunan province killed 29 workers, the worst accident in recent months. (More China stories.)

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