Workers still trapped in flooded Xinjiang coal mine ( 2003-10-21 16:07) (Xinhua)
Seven miners were still trapped Tuesday in a coal mine that flooded Sunday in
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China.
Rescuers have been working to save the miners since the accident occurred at
7:10 a.m. Sunday in the Xishan Coal Mine, Urumqi, when 14 people were working.
Seven escaped.
The trapped miners were working 420 meters underground when the accident
occurred, about 200 meters from the escaped miners, said Wang Jicheng, a miner
who escaped but said his father was still trapped.
However, due to the high concentration of gas in the mine and the break-down
of pumps, the rescue work was hindered Monday night, which caused the water
level to rise 70 centimeters after going down two meters, said Pan Yuliang,
cousin of one trapped miner.
Pumps had resumed working, but an attempt to enter the mine still failed as
the gas content remained at 2 percent by Tuesday morning.
The cause of the accident might have been breaches in the upper and lower
ledges, causing water in the finished upper ledge to pour down, according to the
rescue team.
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