AlHijjah 8, 1432, Nov 4, 2011, SPA -- Four coal miners have been killed in an accident in central China, which left 50 trapped, dpa cited a news report as saying Friday. A total of 75 miners were in the Qianqiu mine in Sanmenxia, Henan Province, when a rock burst occurred late Thursday, the province's work safety authorities were quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency. A rock burst is when part of the rock face crumbles or explodes as a result of shifts in the seismic stress around the mine shaft. Fourteen miners were able to escape Thursday, and another seven were rescued Friday, one with serious injuries, Xinhua said. A 2.9-magnitude earthquake hit Sanmenxia around 30 minutes before the accident, the report said. The mine is part of the state-owned Yima Coal Group, and produces 2.1 million tons of coal annually.
