Porridge lifeline for trapped miners

Thousands are killed in China's mines every year

Rescuers trying to reach more than 50 Chinese miners trapped underground after a huge gas blast are reported to be pouring rice porridge down a long tube to keep alive any survivors.

Most of them are still alive. We hope they can be pulled out within several days

Mine official

At least 100 people are now known to have died in the gas explosion which tore through the coal mine near to Shuicheng in Guizhou province last Wednesday.

Reports say 85 others have been pulled out alive from the rubble.

Some 244 miners were working at Mu Gong Gou mine at the time of the explosion.

Most mines have poor communication and safety equipment

One mine official told Reuters news agency that most of the men still underground were alive and they hoped to get them out within the next few days.

The official said the trapped men kept in contact with rescue workers on the surface by tapping on the iron food pipe.

Rescue workers were feeding them water, soup, porridge and milk, he added.

Poisonous gases

However, other reports suggested officials were not sure that any miners were still alive underground.

One official told the Guizhou Capital News that anyone not killed outright in the explosion would have died from poisonous gases by now.

Trail of disasters

Jan-Jun 2000: More than 2,730 killed

Jan-Sept 1999: 3,464 killed

1998: 7,423 killed

Most deaths caused by gas explosions

10,000 more die of lung disease every year

Those in the mine at the time of the blast included many brothers and in some cases three members of the same family are missing.

Mu Gong Gou mine is located at Shuicheng, a city 2,150km south-west of Shanghai.

It is thought to employ about 4,000 people with miners earning between $60 and $120 per month.

Poor safety

China is the biggest producer and consumer of coal in the world, but the country's mines have an appalling safety record.

On average nearly 10,000 deaths a year have been reported in Chinese mines over the past decade.

Thousands more are maimed each year in underground accidents.

The Chinese Government has pledged to improve safety and close down small unregulated pits.