Tremor-triggered cave-in kills two in NE China colliery

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-30 18:49

SHENYANG - Two people died and five remain trapped in a tremor-triggered cave-in at a colliery in northeast China's Liaoning Province, authorities said here on Wednesday.

The tremor occurred around 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday in the Hengda coal mine. It caused the collapse of a 20-meter section of a tunnel, trapping seven people working at the site, according to the provincial coal industry administration and company sources.

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two miners and were still searching for the others.

The local seismological station put the tremor's magnitude at 1.7 on the Richter Scale.

The mine belongs to the Fuxin Mining Industry (Group) Co. Ltd. The cause of the tremor remains unclear.