As of 8pm on 28 November, 134 miners were confirmed dead and 15 others were still missing one day after an explosion occurred at a state-owned coal mine in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China.
A total of 221 miners were working underground when the blast went off at 9.40 pm on 27 November at Dongfeng Coal Mine, run by the Qitahe branch of the Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd, according to the provincial coal mine safety bureau. So far, only 72 miners were rescued.
According to Xinhuanet, investigators said the tragedy was caused by coal-dust explosion, which knocked out all ventilation systems in the pit.
Source: Xinhuanet (28 November 2005)
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