30 killed in China mine burst, over 100 rescued

Beijing, May 30: At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 miners, including 59 injured were rescued today after a mine blast in a south-western Chinese province, officials said.
The colliery gas burst in Chongqing Municipality, at Tonghua Coal Mine in Anwen Town of Qijiang County, when 131 miners were working underground.

One hundred and one miners were rescued, the official Xinhua news agency reported today. Of the rescued, 59 miners were injured, including four in serious condition.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

The Tonghua Coal Mine, with a history of more than 50 years, is affiliated to the state-owned Songzao Mining Bureau of Chongqing.

The colliery's designed production capacity is 300,000 tonnes per year, which now has been expanded to 600,000 tonnes.

China has a history of coal mines accident. Official figures showed that more than 3000 miners died last year but the actual figures are much more than that as most of such cases are covered up. PTI