Chinese rescuers recover bodies of 19 workers killed in coal mine collapse
- Month-long rescue effort ends with discovery of trapped miners at remote site on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
- Only one survivor of 21 people caught in cave-in on August 14
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Nineteen Chinese miners who became trapped underground when a coal mine collapsed last month were found dead on Monday, state media reported, after a huge rescue effort.
Twenty-one people were working in the Chaidaer mine in remote Qinghai province in northwest China when the roof suddenly caved in on August 14, local officials said last month.
One survivor and one dead miner were lifted to the surface days after the collapse, but rescuers failed to reach the rest before Monday, when the remaining bodies were recovered.
“As of early morning Monday, rescue work has basically finished. The 19 trapped individuals were all discovered in the search, none of whom had vital signs,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing the rescue team.
Xinjiang: 21 coal miners trapped underground as flooding cuts power
More than 1,000 people took part in the recovery effort that lasted almost 30 days, working in gruelling conditions at an altitude of over 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), CCTV reported.
The mine is on the vast, high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a sparsely populated area with a harsh climate.
Mining accidents occur frequently in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced.
A gold mine explosion in the same province killed 10 people in February.
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21 Xinjiang coal miners trapped underground after flooding cuts power, communications
