57 Miners Killed in China Fire
BEIJING — At least 57 miners were confirmed dead and at least 3 missing following a massive blaze at a complex of iron mines in northern China, the government said today.
Rescuers managed to pull 46 miners to safety, the State Administration for Work Safety said on its website.
The blaze broke out Saturday morning after an electronic cable caught fire in a mine in Shahe, in northern China’s Hebei province, the official New China News Agency reported.
The fire spread quickly to five connected mines while thick smoke slowed rescue efforts.
Police have detained the mines’ managers and frozen their bank accounts, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper reported.
Premier Wen Jiabao called for the miners to be saved “at any cost,” it added.
Thousands of deaths are reported every year in China’s mines, from fires, cave-ins and other disasters often blamed on indifference to safety rules or lack of required equipment.
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