Coal mine blast kills at least 33 in central China
( 2002-09-04 09:18 ) (8 )

A gas explosion on Tuesday in Qiuhu Coal Mine in central China's Hunan Province has claimed 33 lives, with another six miners still missing.

A total of 55 workers were underground when the accident occurred around 4:00 am Tuesday at the mine in Shuangfeng County. By Tuesday evening, 16 people had been rescued.

Rescue workers say that there is little hope that the six missing miners could survive.

Local government officials are coordinating rescue efforts at the site, and the causes of the accident are under investigation at press time.