17 Miners trapped in China coal mine

Seventeen miners remained trapped in an underground coal mine in northeastern China Sunday, four days after a deadly gas explosion, officials said. More than 30 rescue crew members had entered the shaft at the Dahuang No. 2 coal mine in Liaoyang, Liaoning province, than 200 times, fighting the fire, setting up ventilation fans and digging through the debris to find the miners, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. A rescue headquarters spokesman said the high concentration of carbon monoxide and gas was hampering rescue efforts. The trapped miners were believed to have reached a work platform about 550 feet below the surface, the headquarters had said Friday. Five other miners were confirmed to have died in the blast and one other escaped, Xinhua said. The news agency said the mine owner and three managers had been detained while the cause of the explosion was investigated.