At Least 37 Killed By Carbon Monoxide In Chinese Mine Explosion

At least 37 miners were killed in China’s worst mine accident in recent years, with the workers felled by carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Associated Press.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-31/death-toll-rises-to-37-in-china-mine-blast

The explosion at the coal mine in Xiaojiawan, in the province of Sichuan, on Wednesday is the worse since November 2009, when 108 workers were killed in a mine explosion in China.

This week there were 154 workers in the mine when the explosion took place, with 107 being brought up to safety. But of those, 50 had carbon monoxide poisoning and seven were critical, AP reported.

The rescue operation was being hampered because of the high level of carbon monoxide down in the mine, and the high temperatures down there, according to AP.