AFP reports on another tragic twist in the most recent coal mine tragedy:
At least 50 miners untrained in rescue work rushed into a Chinese coal mine in a futile bid to save colleagues stricken by a gas explosion, doubling the death toll, state media said Saturday.
The accident in Hongtong county in northern Shanxi province has claimed at least 104 lives, state television said, in the latest horrific accident to highlight appalling safety conditions in China’s coal mining industry.
Rescue work has been halted, indicating that authorities have given up hope of finding any more survivors of the blast, which hit on Wednesday night. [Full text]
Xinhua reports that 33 people have been arrested for the accident.
