BEIJING, Feb 19, 2008 (AFP) — Twenty-four people were killed and five injured in an explosion at an illegal iron mine in northern China, local government officials said Monday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The explosion happened on Sunday at the mine in Hebei Province, which is disguised as a wild boar farm, trapping 30 people, the local government said, according to Xinhua.
A total of 24 bodies had been recovered by the time the rescue operation was completed in the early hours of Tuesday, local official Wang Haibo said.
A number of people were rescued, including five who were slightly injured. They were receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The explosion took place in a tunnel whose entrance is located in a pig pen, Wang said, adding that the farm owner ran away after the incident and is still at large.
Earlier Monday, state media said the recent freezing weather that crippled parts of China could trigger a string of coal mining accidents as collieries ramp up operations after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The build-up of lethal gases, flooding and unstable power supplies could all lead to more accidents in the country's already dangerous mining industry, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) said, according to the China Daily.
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