/ 8 December 2003

More bodies found after mine blast

Four more bodies were found on Monday to take the toll from a gas explosion in a coal mine in northern China to 20, state media said.

Nine workers were rescued from the Longtai mine in Zhangjiakou city, Hebei province, following the blast on Sunday, the Xinhua news agency said.

The explosion occurred when 29 miners were working about 380m below ground.

Officials from the provincial government were at the site conducting an investigation, Xinhua said, adding that all mines in the county had been closed for safety checks.

Chinese mines, many illegally operated, have an appalling safety record with thousands of deaths reported every year in explosions, floods and cave-ins.

In a separate incident, two workers were killed and 10 were hospitalised after a carbon monoxide leakage in Haicheng city in the northeast Liaoning province.

The accident happened on Sunday morning at the Texin Fire-proof Material Factory, Xinhua said without going into details. — Sapa-AFP