Mines continue to claim lives

LONDON - Just three days after the last of the Chilean miners was rescued, normal service was resumed in the world's most hazardous mines.

In China, 26 men died and 11 are trapped after an explosion at a coalmine. In Ecuador, two men died and two remain missing after the collapse of a tunnel at a goldmine. In Colombia, two men died in a blast at one mine, and, at another, two coal miners have been trapped for four days. It is not known if any of the trapped miners are alive.

At the Pingyu Coal & Electric Company's mine in Henan, 70 staff are trying to establish contact with the survivors. The trapped men and their rescuers face dangerous levels of gas and the risk of falling coal. About 2600 people died in Chinese mines last year and the country's leaders have been pushing to improve safety.

Rescuers in Ecuador are digging out the main tunnel. Others are preparing to dig a hole from the side to reach the gallery where the miners may be.

- INDEPENDENT