21 killed in colliery accident in SW China
GUIYANG, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-one miners were killed and four others were missing in a coal and gas outburst Tuesday evening in a coal mine in Guizhou Province in southwest China, local authorities said early Wednesday.
The accident occurred at around 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Machang Coal Mine, which belongs to Gemudi Company of Guizhou Water & Mining Group.
Eighty-three miners were working underground when the accident took place, and 58 of them managed to get to the ground safely.
Rescue operation is under way and the cause for the accident is under investigation.
贵州矿难21名矿工死亡 4名下落不明
新华网贵阳3月13日电(记者王新明)贵州水城矿业(集团)有限责任公司“3.12”煤与瓦斯突出事故救援工作正在紧张进行。截至13日上午9时，仍有4名被困矿工下落不明。
12日20时许，位于贵州六盘水市水城县的贵州水矿集团格目底公司马场煤矿发生一起煤与瓦斯突出事故。事故发生时，当班下井人员83人，其中58人安全升井，25人被困井下，目前已发现21人死亡，还有4人被困。据了解，被困矿工多是水城县当地人。
据贵州水矿集团矿山救护大队大队长姜良泉介绍，本次事故煤与瓦斯突出量大、瓦斯浓度高，已找到21名遇难矿工的遗体，估计被困的4名矿工被掩埋在突出的矸石下面。
目前，事故原因还在进一步调查中。
