170 Chinese Miners Trapped Underground
About 170 miners are trapped underground after a gas explosion in central China, Chinese officials said Sunday, November 28, 2004. Many of those trapped are far from the entrance to the mine and thick smoke is said to be hampering rescue efforts. The accident occurred early on Sunday at the state-owned Chenjiashan coal mine in Shaanxi province. Chinese mines are among the most dangerous in the world. Last month, some 150 men died in a gas explosion in Henan province.