Society

7 trapped in coal mine over 60 hr, life signs weak

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-04 22:10

TANGSHAN, Hebei - Rescuers on Monday detected weak life signs, as they approached a flooded shaft under a coal mine in Tangshan, North China's Hebei province, where seven workers remained trapped underground for more than 60 hours.

Rescuers said they were only a few meters away from the location where the workers might be trapped by Monday afternoon. However, they had to remain cautious to move further because the digging may cause secondary disasters.

Local authorities said the seven trapped workers were undertaking maintenance work when the flooding occurred at 10 pm Friday. Production in the colliery had been halted before the incident to prepare for the mine's reconstruction.

The rescue work is currently led by vice governor of Hebei Zhang Jiehui.