At around 4 pm, before the miners went into the pit, the safety control staff had examined the pit and found the gas level was higher than the maximum level allowed for carrying out work in the pit. However, when the miners refused to work because of the possible danger, their supervisor, Mr. Xiao (originally from Chongqing, Sichuan) threatened them with a 300-Yuan wage deduction if they failed to follow his orders to start work.
Three miners followed him while a fourth, surnamed Zeng, continued to refuse. The three miners and the supervisor - Chen and Huang from Hunan, Zhu from Guangdong and Supervisor Xiao - went into the pit for about 200 metres from the pit entrance. At around 6, Huang walked back to pick up some equipment by the entrance and the accident occurred right after he started moving back. The pit collapsed and rocks, sand and wooden support beams began to fall on the men. It took about half an hour for Huang to reach the entrance to call for help.
The Occupational Safety Department of Quqing County said that Futong Coalmine had fulfilled all safety requirements and it ordered related departments, such as the police, the health department, and the county government to help the rescue work. By 6.20pm the next day, the rescue work was continuing but the three missing miners were nowhere to be found. Trapped inside a pit blocked by rocks and filled with gas, other miners believed it was not possible to find them alive.
According to an informant, 3 km from the Futong Coalmine, another mine explosion on 8 May - the evening before the Futong incident - took two lives, injured one with three still missing at the Laolitang Coalmine.
Source: Southern Metropolitan News 11 May 2004