Rescue bids at 2 mines
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
July 4, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A BUILDUP of explosive gas hampered rescue efforts at a Chinese coal mine while water continued to pour into another as emergency crews raced to reach 42 people trapped for a second day yesterday.
The accidents - a cave-in and a flood - both happened on Saturday at mines in two southern areas after days of heavy rain.
At the Heshan mine in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, rescuers vented explosive gas released from coal seams and pumped out silt-filled water as they tried to reach 19 miners some 390 meters underground.
In Guizhou Province, 21 miners and two other people remained trapped as floodwaters continued to pour into the Niupeng mine yesterday.
At the Heshan mine there was a loud explosion before the cave-in which killed at least three miners.
Rescue worker Huang Xiangxiong said: "The density of the toxic gas in the mineshaft remains high, and we have to be wary of more collapses."
Huang said rescuers had been able to penetrate 350 meters into the main shaft, but had not yet been able to reach the miners. They met the surface of the mine's floodwaters when they hit 350 meters.
"Our emergency rescue headquarters has laid out a network of 17 drainage pipes. We hope to remove the water soon," Huang said.
Recent downpours had forced a halt to mining in the region between June 29 and July 1 but operations resumed on Saturday.
Seventy-one miners were in the mine when the collapse occurred. Forty-nine managed to escape. The bodies of the three dead miners were retrieved.
At the Niupeng mine in Guizho, water levels rose despite constant pumping overnight and throughout the day yesterday as water continued to pour in. Besides trapping 21 miners, a relative of the mine owner and someone accompanying him had also gone into the mine.
The mine, which is under construction and not in operation at the time of the accident, is privately run. Heavy rainfall and a drainage system breakdown were blamed for the incident on Saturday.
The mine's drainage system had broken down and miners had gone into the shaft to check the machines, an official said.
On Saturday, China's State Administration of Work Safety issued an order calling for vigilance after accidents at four mines, a construction site and a port over the past two weeks had left 26 people dead.
The accidents - a cave-in and a flood - both happened on Saturday at mines in two southern areas after days of heavy rain.
At the Heshan mine in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, rescuers vented explosive gas released from coal seams and pumped out silt-filled water as they tried to reach 19 miners some 390 meters underground.
In Guizhou Province, 21 miners and two other people remained trapped as floodwaters continued to pour into the Niupeng mine yesterday.
At the Heshan mine there was a loud explosion before the cave-in which killed at least three miners.
Rescue worker Huang Xiangxiong said: "The density of the toxic gas in the mineshaft remains high, and we have to be wary of more collapses."
Huang said rescuers had been able to penetrate 350 meters into the main shaft, but had not yet been able to reach the miners. They met the surface of the mine's floodwaters when they hit 350 meters.
"Our emergency rescue headquarters has laid out a network of 17 drainage pipes. We hope to remove the water soon," Huang said.
Recent downpours had forced a halt to mining in the region between June 29 and July 1 but operations resumed on Saturday.
Seventy-one miners were in the mine when the collapse occurred. Forty-nine managed to escape. The bodies of the three dead miners were retrieved.
At the Niupeng mine in Guizho, water levels rose despite constant pumping overnight and throughout the day yesterday as water continued to pour in. Besides trapping 21 miners, a relative of the mine owner and someone accompanying him had also gone into the mine.
The mine, which is under construction and not in operation at the time of the accident, is privately run. Heavy rainfall and a drainage system breakdown were blamed for the incident on Saturday.
The mine's drainage system had broken down and miners had gone into the shaft to check the machines, an official said.
On Saturday, China's State Administration of Work Safety issued an order calling for vigilance after accidents at four mines, a construction site and a port over the past two weeks had left 26 people dead.
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