Eighteen miners were killed on Tuesday, in a coal mine collapse in Shenmu county, northwestern Shaanxi province, a local official said yesterday.
Liu Yuntao, director of the Shaanxi coal mine safety supervision bureau, told China Daily: "The accident occurred at the Huisen Liangshuijing coal mine at about 11:16 am, when 28 miners were working underground.
"Twelve men were evacuated, but 16 others were trapped underground," he said.
"They were confirmed dead this morning."
Two of the rescued men were rushed to a local hospital but later died from the effects of inhaling poisonous gases, doctors said.
The cause of the mine collapse is under investigation, Liu said.
Ma Zhanping, deputy magistrate of Shenmu county, said a rescue mission to save the trapped miners was launched immediately after the authorities were notified of the incident.
Vice-Governor of Shaanxi Wu Dengchang led the rescue team, which included officials from the provincial coal mine bureau, safety supervision bureau and other government departments.
The rescue effort was hampered, however, by dense smoke and dust in the mine shafts, Ma said.
Shenmu county is located in the northern part of Shaanxi and is known for its extesnive coal reserves.
The coal is of fine quality because of its low phosphorus and sulfur contents.
The Huisen Liangshuijing coal mine in Shenmu is State-owned and has an annual capacity of about 4 million tons, Ma said.
Xinhua contributed to this story
Source: China Daily
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