Death toll in Chinese mine explosion rises to 71, 15 missing
BEIJING (AP) - Rescuers have found the bodies of 71 coal miners killed by an underground gas explosion in eastern China, and have little hope of finding 15 missing miners, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Flooding and high levels of carbon monoxide and explosive gases have hindered rescue work in the Luling mine in the city of Hefei, Xinhua said.
Earlier reports said the missing miners were some 500 meters (1,500 feet) below ground.
The explosion ripped through the mine Tuesday afternoon.
"After two days of continuous rescue and excavation work in the Luling coal mine, 15 miners were still missing and little hope was held for their survival,'' Xinhua said.
China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with more than 5,000 fatalities reported last year in explosions, floods and cave-ins.
Xinhua said China's State Administration of Work Safety ordered an immediate security overhaul in the country's mines "to prevent similar disasters.''
It didn't give details on what steps other mines were ordered to take.
Managers of the Luling mine and local officials contacted by telephone refused to give any information Thursday.
There were 113 people in the mine at the time of the explosion, and 27 were rescued, according to earlier reports. Xinhua said nine of them were severely injured.
Hefei is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Beijing in Anhui province.
Explosions are common in Chinese mines and often are blamed on a lack of ventilation to clear natural gas that seeps out of the coal bed.
Other accidents are blamed on lack of fire-control equipment or indifference by mine managers to safety rules. - AP
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