2009 Shanxi Mine Blast - Accident Details

Accident Details

The pre-dawn explosion occurred at 2:17 a.m. (CST) as 436 workers were in the Tunlan Coal Mine in Gujiao city. Xinhua reported that over four hundred men were working when the explosion occurred but that most escaped unhindered and unhurt. One hundred rescuers worked at the scene in Gujiao city as dozens of miners remained trapped. China Central TV (CCTV) broadcast footage of rescuers in orange suits and red helmets with headlamps entering an elevator where they were lowered into the mine shaft as injured miners were taken into ambulances. A fire in the shaft was said to be blocking the progress of the rescuers. There were also reports of trapped miners using mobile phones to call relatives to discuss their plight. A two-minute silence is planned in recognition of the dead on the 25th of February.

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