At least 19 dead, 86 hospitalised in China coal mine gas leak
AFP, Beijing
At least 19 miners died Wednesday, two remained missing and 86 were rushed to hospital after a gas leak at a coal mine in central China, state media reported. The accident happened around 11am (0300 GMT) at the Zijiang coal mine in Loudi city, Hunan province, the Xinhua news agency said. China Central Television report-ed that 19 bodies had been found and two workers were unaccounted for. It said 86 miners were in hospital but gave no news on their condition. A worker at the Zijiang Hospital told AFP the men who had been brought in were in various states of health, "The people who have been sent to us, most have headaches or are vomiting," she said. "Some have difficulty breathing." A Hunan work safety bureau official told AFP that 224 miners were in the pit at the time while an official at the Zijiang Coal Mine Work Safety Bureau said the gas that leaked was likely methane.
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