Faint hopes held for flooded-in workers
Source: Agencies/Shanghai Daily |
April 2, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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FOUR days after a flood trapped 153 workers in a coal mine, rescue officials in northern China held out hope that some of those stuck underground could be alive even though no contact has been made.
The flood at the Wangjialing Coal Mine in Shanxi Province started when workers digging tunnels broke through into an old shaft filled with water, a government safety body said on Wednesday, accusing officials of ignoring safety rules and danger warnings.
Hopes have been fading despite the efforts of more than 1,500 rescuers tunneling and laying pipes around the clock to drain away water, but a spokesman of the rescue headquarters said late on Wednesday that some of the miners might still be alive.
Relatives of the trapped miners have demanded quicker action.
Xinhua news agency quoted rescue headquarters spokesman Liu Dezheng as saying the trapped miners had been working in nine different platforms when water gushed in, and some of the platforms were above the underground water level.
"It is believed that some workers may have a chance of survival," Liu said. "We'll go all out to save them."
The progress of the rescue has been slow. The mine was flooded with up to 140,000 cubic meters of water, state television said.
However, Liu said that by Wednesday evening pumping had reduced the water level by just 18 centimeters - a total of 26,000 cubic meters.
A preliminary investigation found that the mine's managers caused overcrowding in the shaft by assigning extra tunneling crews in a rush to finish work, and ignored warning signs, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Wednesday.
"Water leaks were found numerous times on underground shafts," it said, but the mine's managers "did not take the actions necessary to evacuate."
The flood at the Wangjialing Coal Mine in Shanxi Province started when workers digging tunnels broke through into an old shaft filled with water, a government safety body said on Wednesday, accusing officials of ignoring safety rules and danger warnings.
Hopes have been fading despite the efforts of more than 1,500 rescuers tunneling and laying pipes around the clock to drain away water, but a spokesman of the rescue headquarters said late on Wednesday that some of the miners might still be alive.
Relatives of the trapped miners have demanded quicker action.
Xinhua news agency quoted rescue headquarters spokesman Liu Dezheng as saying the trapped miners had been working in nine different platforms when water gushed in, and some of the platforms were above the underground water level.
"It is believed that some workers may have a chance of survival," Liu said. "We'll go all out to save them."
The progress of the rescue has been slow. The mine was flooded with up to 140,000 cubic meters of water, state television said.
However, Liu said that by Wednesday evening pumping had reduced the water level by just 18 centimeters - a total of 26,000 cubic meters.
A preliminary investigation found that the mine's managers caused overcrowding in the shaft by assigning extra tunneling crews in a rush to finish work, and ignored warning signs, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Wednesday.
"Water leaks were found numerous times on underground shafts," it said, but the mine's managers "did not take the actions necessary to evacuate."
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