China mine blast death toll hits 42; 37 trapped

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

BEIJING — The death toll from an explosion at an illegal coal mine in central China rose to 42 Wednesday with another 37 men still trapped with little hope for survival.

Elsewhere in the same province, Henan, 13 workers were killed in gold mine fire sparked by the severing of electrical wires in a cave-in, the Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Six of the 12 miners working underground at the time of the accident escaped to safety, but seven members of a rescue team were later trapped by the fire and also died, Xinhua said.

The accident Tuesday evening came hours after the explosion at the illegal coal mine in Henan where 93 men had been working underground.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gI17C6PKAYIuAfZP89d9AVKnH2rgD9AJPU100

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If anyone is curious about what the life of a Chinese coal-miner is like, I highly recommend the movie "Blind Shaft."