From The International Tribune:
The blast occurred at 11:15 at night in the village-run mine in Shanxi Province, the heart of China’s coal mining country.
At least 128 men were believed to be in the shaft, more than double the number allowed. But rather than notify the authorities to organize a proper emergency response, the mine operators’ first reflex was to hush things up. “As long as we can protect our boss, we’re protected,” one of them said, according to Southern Metropolis newspaper in China.
Determined to save their co-workers, miners started a rescue operation of their own. Some news reports speak of the mine operators trying to stop them. As many as 50 men proceeded into the earth, most of them never to be seen again. [Full Text]
