An explosion at an iron mine in a northeastern provincial town has killed three workers and injured three others, causing chaos in the search for victims buried under tons of rubble.
The accident happened at around 3:55 p.m., when blasting work was under way in a commercial mine run by a local iron ore producer in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, about 150 kilometers east of Seoul.
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(Yonhap) |
Authorities earlier announced that 14 workers were buried under rock presumed to weigh at least 20-30 tons, but it was later confirmed that eight of them had managed to escape and avoid the accident.
Of the six buried, two workers, including a 64-year-old surnamed Jin, were found dead. Rescue authorities later discovered the body of a 69-year-old surnamed Shim, who had been missing.
The six workers had made their way about 5 kilometers into the mine to carry out blasting work when the accident occurred. The three wounded have been sent to nearby hospitals for treatment, the authorities said.
(Yonhap)