Collapse Traps 7 Mine Workers In Southwest China

Collapse traps 7 mine workers in southwest China < br />

2012-05-23 06:04:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

LUXI COUNTY, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Seven people were trapped on Monday when part of a coal mine collapsed in southwestern China, state-run media reported on Tuesday, but their conditions were not immediately known. Three mine workers have been rescued so far.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said the accident occurred on Monday afternoon when a mine shaft caved in at a coal mine in Luxi County in China's southwestern province of Yunnan. A group of ten workers were inside to inspect the mine's ventilation facilities when the accident happened.

A local government spokesman told Xinhua that the ten workers were trapped following the collapse, but rescue workers had rescued three of them by 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Among the group are the coal mine's manager, a safety inspector and eight workers, although Xinhua did not say who were rescued.

A rescue operation continued throughout Monday and Tuesday, but it is unclear whether any contact has been made with the remaining seven miners. Xinhua, which did not report the incident until late Tuesday, said the mine is owned by Yunnan Dongyan Luxi Coal Mine Industry Co., Ltd.

Safety conditions at mines in China have significantly improved in recent years but they remain among the world's most dangerous with at least 289 fatalities in the first quarter of this year. There were a total of 1,973 fatalities in 2011, 2,433 fatalities in 2010 and 2,631 in 2009, according to official figures.

One of the worst mining accidents in China in recent years happened in November 2009 when 104 workers were killed after several explosions at a coal mine in Heilongjiang province.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-05-23