As of 8:00 PM Monday, 134 miners were confirmed dead in the Heilongjiang coalmine blast, while 15 others are still missing, rescuers said.

 

221 miners were working underground when the explosion occurred at 9:40 PM Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine run by the Qitaihe branch of the Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. in Heilongjiang Province, according Zhang Chengxiang, director of the provincial coal mine safety bureau.

 

A 380-member rescue team has been going all-out to search for trapped miners.

 

Investigators said the coal-dust explosion disabled all ventilation systems in the pit, but the main ventilation system started working again on Monday morning.

 

 

 

 

 (Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)