Coal mine gas leak kills 29

Posted 11 9 2007 2:21AM

BEIJING (AFP) - Twenty-nine miners have died following a gas leak in a coal mine in southwest China and six are still missing, state press reported early Friday.

The gas leak at Qunli coal mine in Guizhou Province occurred at 2:10 pm (0610 GMT) Thursday when 86 miners were working in the shaft, the Xinhua news agency said.

Fifty-two people were rescued but one died after emergency treatment, rescuers said.

"The other six miners have slim chances of survival, but (the) search will continue," a rescuer said.

Seven of the 52 rescued miners were injured, two severely, and they are now being treated at nearby hospitals.

The cause of the gas leak was not immediately known.

China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world because safety standards are ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet the nation's booming energy demands.