Rescue work ends after colliery gas leak, 35 dead

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-11 11:06

GUIYANG -- Rescue work ended early on Sunday after the last two missing miners were found dead at a colliery in southwest China's Guizhou Province, where a gas leak killed 35 last Thursday.

 


Rescuers carry the bodies of the victims out of a coal mine in Nayong County of Southwest China's Guizhou Province November 9, 2007. The coal mine blast happening on Thursday has killed 32 miners and three others are still missing. [newsphoto] 

 

The last two dead bodies were retrieved at 2:30 a.m. and 3:24 a.m. respectively on Sunday, said sources with the emergency rescue headquarters at Qunli Colliery in Nayong County.

Eighty-six miners were working in the shaft when the gas leak occurred at 1:44 p.m. on Thursday. Of them, 52 were rescued, but one of them died after emergency treatment.

Management of the mine has agreed to compensate 200,000 yuan (26,667 US dollars) for each victim.

The central government will send an investigation team to look into the cause of the accident.

Qunli is a licensed colliery designed to produce 300,000 tons of coal a year.

Following the accident, the provincial authorities ordered all coal mines in the county to suspend production for a safety overhaul.



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