A rescue operation involving 755 personnel, including emergency workers and medical teams, is underway at the site of a coal mine accident in Qinyuan County, north China's Shanxi Province.
A gas explosion occurred at the Liushenyu coal mine in the county at 19:29 on Friday.
The injured workers who have been saved are receiving emergency treatment in hospitals. Some of them are now at the Qinyuan County People's Hospital.
"When I was at the No. 311 working section, I didn't hear any noise, except for a wisp of smoke. Then I smelled a sulfur odor similar to that of firecrackers. I asked others to run immediately, when I saw some people choked by smoke and fainted away. I also fainted. After lying for more than an hour, I came to myself and woke up others beside me. We came out of the well together," Wang Yong, an injured worker, recalled the terrifying moment.
The injured people mainly inhaled toxic gases. To prevent them from developing delayed encephalopathy, medical workers are carrying out treatments such as hyperbaric oxygen inhalation.
"The current treatment plan mainly focuses on oxygen inhalation, dehydration, intracranial pressure reduction, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and psychological treatment. We will closely watch the fluctuation of their state," said Kang Lina, a neurology doctor at the Qinyuan County People's Hospital.
Some of the patients with mild symptoms were able to take in food on their own and move around independently by Saturday noon.
The cause of the accident is under further investigation.
Rescue underway at gas-explosion shaken Shanxi coal mine
Rescue underway at gas-explosion shaken Shanxi coal mine
