Four killed in colliery blast in southwest China

Four miners were killed in a gas explosion after heavy rain cut off electricity and stopped ventilation equipment at a coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou Province, local work safety watchdog said Saturday.

The explosion occurred at Xingwen Coal Mine in Xishui County, Zunyi City early Saturday morning. Seven of the 25 miners who were working underground managed to escape. Rescuers later saved 14 others, the provincial work safety administration reported late Saturday.

Thirteen of the 14 rescued miners were injured but the injuries were not life-threatening, it said.

An initial probe blamed the bad weather for the accident, saying the electricity cut-off, caused by days of heavy rains, disrupted the function of the coal mine's ventilation equipment.

The latest round of storms struck central and southern China from Thursday, triggering wide-spread floods, destroying farmlands and houses,and killing scores of people so far.

Source:Xinhua