More than 50 feared dead after Chinese coal mine blast

The underground gas explosion hit the Tianlong mine near Hejing city in Shanxi province on Sunday, trapping more than 50 people, miners told a local newspaper editor who went to the mine after the accident.

The miners saw more than 30 bodies carried out of the private mine, with more than 20 others still underground with "no hope" of rescue, the Huashang News editor said. Most of the dead suffocated in the licensed but "technically backward" mine, which has operated for seven to eight years with no ventilation or gas detection equipment, he said.

Thirty mules used for hauling coal also died, he said. An unknown number of miners escaped after the blast, he said. At least three survivors were in a local hospital on Sunday, the Beijing Morning Post said. The Huashang News editor went to the mine after two journalists and a driver from the Xi'an-based newspaper were attacked by a group of miners and relatives of the mine manager, who fled the area, he said.

Paid by the manager, who has fled the area, the attackers beat the journalists, seized notebooks and a camera, and damaged their vehicle, he said. Neither of the journalists was seriously injured, he said. Local government and mining bureau officials said they could not confirm any details of the accident. Mining accidents kill up to 10,000 people annually, according to government statistics.

(la/dpa)