24 Killed in Coal Mine Blast in Northeast China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 11, 2002

24 Killed in Coal Mine Blast in Northeast China

Twenty-four miners were killed and 39 injured when an explosion ripped through a coal mine in northern China's Heilongjiang province.

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24 Killed in Coal Mine Blast in Northeast China

Twenty-four miners were killed and 39 injured when an explosion ripped through a coal mine in northern China's Heilongjiang province.

The accident in Heilongjiang occurred when 73 people were inside the Donghai Mine in Jixi city. Another 10 workers were still unaccounted for.

An employee at the mine confirmed that 24 people had died, but said he did not know how many were injured or whether any workers remained trapped in the collapsed shaft.

The large mine produces one million tonnes of coal per year and is one of the biggest subsidiaries of the Jixi Mining Industry Group.

Part of the mine in Jixi had been shut down after fire broke out in a work area a few days ago.

But on Tuesday, several consecutive gas explosions ripped through that section of the mine, causing other shafts -- where miners were still working -- to collapse.

Two of those who died were rescue workers who went down to the mine after the first explosion.

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