THE death toll from a New Year coal mine explosion in Northeast China rose to 210 by the afternoon of February 16 after seven more bodies were discovered that day.
The accident, which occurred on the afternoon of February 14 at the Sunjiawan mine belonging to the Fuxin Coal Industry Group in Liaoning Province, was reported to be the deadliest mining disaster in China since 1949.
Altogether, 244 miners were working in the pit, about 242 metres underground, when the accident occurred at around 2:50 pm.
On the following afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the blast, one more miner was rescued, bringing the total number of survivors to 29. The remaining five are still missing.
Sources with the General Hospital of the Fuxin Coal Industry Group said all the injured were in stable conditions, except for the newly rescued miner who was still in a coma on February 16. Among the injured, four had been poisoned by carbon monoxide, 11 suffered burns in the blast and two suffered bone fractures. The one still in a coma was reported to have head injuries.
In addition, some 30 family members of the victims were also hospitalized due to deep grief. A medical team composed of experts was on its way from Shenyang, capital city of Liaoning, to Fuxin to help with the medical treatment.
For days, at the entrance to the mine shaft, family members and dozens of miners wearing hard hats and dusty uniforms could be seen gathering, waiting for news of their missing colleagues or relatives.
"We have never seen such a big accident before,?said an official at the Fuxin's Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau.
The rescue team, composed of 180 people, was divided into groups of three, taking turns to search for trapped workers in the pits.
By press time, the real cause of the blast was still unknown. Some media reported that it had something to do with an earthquake.
"The explosion took place about 10 minutes after an earthquake shook the mine. Moments later, ventilation monitors ceased functioning and one of the mine's main pits was filled with smoke,?China News Agency reported.
The blast has aroused great concern among top Chinese leaders. Chinese President Hu Jintao asked the local governments of Liaoning Province to spare no effort to save trapped miners. Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-Premier Huang Ju instructed local officials to rescue the victims, investigate the cause of the accident and deal with the aftermath.
A work team led by State Councillor Hua Jianmin arrived at the accident site on February 16. Hua has given specific instructions for the rescue, treatment and investigation work.
"Local governments and the coal mining industry group should do their best to compensate the families of the victims and to ensure stability of the region,?Hua said. "An investigation group will be set up to find out how the accident happened and an all-round production safety check will be held to prevent any such accident from re-occurring.?
The Sunjiawan mine, with 3,100 workers, consists of two pits. The disaster took place in the Haizhou mine, which has an annual output of 1.5 million tons.
China has suffered a string of deadly mining disasters in recent months despite a nationwide safety campaign.
Last month, Premier Wen Jiabao signaled the leadership's determination to tackle mine safety when he toured a coal mine in northwestern Shaanxi Province where 166 workers died in November in the previous single deadliest accident since 1990.
Although the government has never stopped in its efforts to regulate mines, the chronic energy shortage and the lure of profits has led many mine operators to ignore safety controls, experts said.
(Star-Agencies)
