Canoe

Tuesday, November 7, 2000

13 dead in China mining disaster

BEIJING (AP) -- A gas explosion has killed at least 13 coal miners and left another 18 missing in the latest disaster to strike China's accident-plagued mines, state media reported Tuesday.

Search crews worked to recover bodies and rescue survivors from Sunday's explosion at the Xi'an mine near the northeastern city of Liaoyuan, said local officials who confirmed the accident but refused to provide details.

The official Beijing Morning Post newspaper reported that as of late Monday, rescuers had retrieved 13 bodies and found two miners gravely injured. It could not be determined whether another 18 missing miners were alive or dead, the report said.

China's mines, the world's deadliest, have little safety equipment and often ignore safety laws. Accidents are common, with more than 2,730 miners killed in the first half of the year.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), November 07, 2000