Beijing, July 20: Twelve miners trapped inside two separate coal mines in china which suffered gas explosions earlier this month are all believed to be dead, state media today reported officials saying. Six of the miners have been trapped in the Dayangquan coal mine in Yangquan city, northern China's Shanxi province, since an explosion ripped through the mine on July 15 when 14 miners were in the pit. Five miners were confirmed dead and three others were rescued. Rescuers this week found one of the bodies of the six missing miners, the china daily said, quoting an unnamed official with Shanxi supervisory bureau of coal mine safety.
Another six miners trapped inside a mine in Renhua county, in southern China's Guangdong province, after an explosion on July 7 caused a cave-in there are also believed dead, China daily said.
A 50-member rescue team has been working around the clock to salvage the bodies of the six missing miners, according to the report.

The high density of carbon dioxide in the cave prevented rescuers from entering the tunnel, and rescue work was made even more difficult because the accident happened about 200 meters underground, the paper quoted the official saying.

The high density of carbon dioxide in the cave prevented rescuers from entering the tunnel, and rescue work was made even more difficult because the accident happened about 200 meters underground, the paper quoted the official saying.

Last week, a ventilation tunnel was dug from a neighbouring coal mine, which allowed rescuers to then pump air into the mine.
Rescuers said it would take at least a week to clear away the coal that fell when the mine collapsed following the explosion so that they can search for the miners.
Four other miners were killed in the accident, the report said.

Bureau Report

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