The blast ripped through the mine at about 2.30 a.m. when there were 528 people at work, but more than 400 have now got out safely, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing rescue team spokesman Zhang Jinguang.
The blast was so violent it shook the surrounding area. Buildings near the mine mouth have partially collapsed, and some survivors were knocked unconscious temporarily.
“I passed out for a while. I found I was shrouded by heavy smoke, when I regained consciousness. I groped my way out in the dark,” 27 year-old electrician Wang Xingang told Xinhua.
Wang is in hospital with 28 others who escaped the mine, said Pan Xiaowen, deputy director of the Hegang Mining Bureau Hospital. Six of them are seriously injured.
