HARBIN - The 13 trapped miners, in the Taiyuan Coal Mine of northeastern province of Heilongjiang, have little hope to survive because of the condensed toxic carbon monoxide gas which has hampered the rescuing work, according to sources with the rescuers.
A fire that broke out at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday in a pit at Taiyuan Coal Mine, Hegang City, trapping 13 workers.
The city government confirmed that a fire did occur, but the mine owner insisted that all workers had escaped safely.
The provincial work safety administration, however, confirmed that a certain number of miners were trapped on the basis of its own initial investigations.
Preliminary investigation show that accident was caused by the underground cable fire or welding operational errors, and the underground fire will continue for at least one week.
