Little hope for 141 trapped miners

The chances of saving 141 trapped Chinese coal miners were “extremely slight”, an official said today, as rescuers pumped out poisonous fumes after a gas explosion. Twenty-five miners were confirmed dead.

Early rescue efforts following yesterday’s blast were blocked by high levels of carbon monoxide and thick smoke in the Chenjiashan Coal Mine, in the central province of Shaanxi, said the government.

An official at the Shaanxi coal mine safety bureau said hope was fading fast for the trapped miners.

“The rescue effort has been extremely difficult due to large concentrations of carbon monoxide,” said the official. “From my own experience, the odds that the 141 still underground remain alive are extremely slight.”

The accident came just weeks after another coal mine explosion killed 148 people elsewhere in central China – the highest death toll in a mining accident since 2000.

China, the world’s biggest coal producer, is expected to churn out 1.8 billion tons this year.