Slim chance of survival for 18 trapped miners
( 2003-10-12 08:25) (Xinhua)
Eighteen miners were still trapped at press time
in a coal mine that flooded Thursday in Dengfeng city of central China's Henan
province.
A team of 700 rescuers has been working hard in shifts since the accident
occurred in Changda coal mine at 2:40 p.m. Thursday. The rescue workers had
reached 36 meters underground by press time, 13 meters away from the trapped
miners and pipes were being sent underground to provide fresh air.
It would take them 24 more hours to reach the miners, but there was still
possibility for the miners to survive, said Chen Huaixin, deputy director of
Dengfeng Coal Bureau.
The flooded Changda coal mine began operation in 1997 and had no legal
license, according to sources with the rescue team.
It was the second coal mine accident in three months in Dengfeng city, said
Qiao. The first accident occurred at Dengfeng coal mine in Baiping township on
July 13, killing all 21 trapped workers.
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