Seven miners were killed in a blast that occurred at the Xiangzhong Coal Mine in Lianyuan city at Hunan province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported quoting the local government. However, 39 people managed to escape.
The gas outburst was triggered as workers were doing the drilling work underground.
Meanwhile, rescue workers pulled to safety eight of 16 miners trapped underground for more than three days in a flooded colliery pit in the same province.
All the eight have been rushed to hospital for further treatment. Before being pulled out to safety, they had received first-aid treatment for their injuries, the report said.
Medical personnel had gone into the pit carrying stretchers and first-aid materials, said the rescuers.
Sixteen miners were trapped in the pit of Qielichong colliery in Sandu township, Leiyang city, following a mine flood on Wednesday. Of the 40 people working in the pit, 24 managed to escape.
But the accident was not reported to the local government until Thursday morning, which delayed the start of the rescue operation by almost 12 hours, according to local officials.
The mine owner, Liu Yaping, is under police custody.
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