A ROCK burst in a coal mine in central China killed four workers, and rescue workers pulled another seven to safety but were still trying to get to 50 others trapped underground.
A total of 75 miners were working in the shaft in the Qianqiu mine in the city of Sanmenxia at the time of the blast on Thursday night, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Fourteen escaped but the search was ongoing for the remaining miners.
About 200 rescue workers were digging a small rescue tunnel about 500 metres deep to try to reach the trapped men.
Six of those pulled out from underground had minor injuries. CCTV footage on TV showed the men being brought out wrapped in blankets with their eyes covered to protect against sudden exposure to light after hours of being trapped.
Officials and locals applauded the men as they were brought up. There have been no reports of communication with the trapped miners.
China’s coal mining industry is the world’s deadliest, although its safety record has improved since the government began to crack down in earnest on small illegal mines.
Last year there were 2,433 fatalities, compared to nearly 7,000 in 2002.
However, the discussion about safety issues has has been revived after a gas explosion at a coalmine in Hunan province on Sunday killed 29 workers, the worst accident in recent months.
The gas explosion took place at about 7:45pm, the Henan Administration of Work Safety said.
A 2.9-magnitude earthquake shook Sanmenxia shortly before the rock burst.
The coal mine has an annual production capacity of 2.1 million tonnes and it belongs to the state-owned Yima Coal Group.