China blames illegal mining for accident

[dArKeR]

Authorities yesterday blamed illegal coal mining for an accident in northern China that killed 21 people, saying that villagers may have been competing to pull coal from an abandoned shaft, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Seven or eight people were still missing from Wednesday's accident in Shanxi province, reports said, and hope was dwindling that they would be found alive.

"The specific number of missing isn't clear," said a government official in Lingshi County who gave only her surname, Tian. "The pit is very deep, and rescuers haven't reached the bottom yet."

http://www.etaiwannews.com/China/2004/02/09/1076296289.htm