More than 40 miners were working underground when the accident occurred at the Fuyuan coal mine in Langya Town, Quxian County, Sichuan Province.

 

Two miners were first suffocated in an area close to a tunnel used for the transportation of products and facilities. Then two more workers were killed after entering the area by mistake. Later in the day another three miners died, reportedly sent on a rescue mission by management. The rescuers wore were no protective equipment.

 

A preliminary site survey by the Sichuan provincial administration for coal mine safety suggests that the failure of the ventilation system caused gas to build up in Fuyuan coal mine and suffocate the first four dead miners.

 

The city government has halted production in all coal mines in Quxian county as well as Dazhu and Daxian counties where mishaps were previously reported.

 

Production at these mines will resume only after they pass a thorough inspection by the local production safety authority.

 

Local police has detained the owner of the mine, Li Youquan, and its manager, Zhou Changguo. The Fuyuan mine produces 60,000 tons a year and was a state-owned mine for decades before Li Youquan, a private business owner, bought it in 2000.