Explosion Traps 31 Miners in Northeast ChinaA gas explosion in a coal mine in Liaoyuan, northeast China's Jilin Province, trapped 31 miners underground on Sunday.Local authorities and relevant departments rushed to the site to search for the men, and the provincial government of Jilin has also sent officials to inspect and direct the rescue work. By 3 pm Monday, two of the 33 miners working underground at the time of the explosion had been rescued, leaving 31 still stranded underground. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. A series of similar accidents have marred the reputation of China's coal mining industry recently. Last week, a fire in a small coal mine killed at least ten people in Fengcheng, a county in east China's Jiangxi Province. In southwest China's Sichuan Province alone, gas explosions in small coal mines have killed at least 21 miners this year. The province has ordered all of its small coal mines to close until they could be inspected for safety. |
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