Chinese engineers' bodies recovered from Albanian mine

Albanian rescuers, together with Albanian and Chinese mining experts work at the site to search for three Chinese miners who went missing after a hydrogen gas explosion hit the chromium mine. Photo: Xinhua

Albanian rescuers, together with Albanian and Chinese mining experts work at the site to search for three Chinese miners who went missing after a hydrogen gas explosion hit the chromium mine. Photo: Xinhua

Published Feb 10, 2017

Share

Tirana - Three Chinese engineers have been

found dead at the bottom of Albania's chrome mine at Bulqize

after being trapped and killed by an explosion below ground last

Saturday.

The bodies of the engineers were being brought up on Friday,

following a week-long effort to reach them after a gas explosion

caused massive damage at the mine and delayed a rescue team.

Rescuers had to clean debris as well as dig and ventilate

another route to reach the three.

The Chinese Embassy said the three specialists worked for

the Wenzhou Corporation of Mining Tunnel Design, which had been

contracted by Albanian Chrome, owned by Albania's Balfin Group.

Rescue teams saw the dead bodies late on Thursday, bringing

the first of them to an upper level on Friday. The two others

lay close to each other, a local media report said.

"The teams are working to bring all of them to the upper

level and bring them to the surface in the next three hours," an

Albanian official told Reuters.

Three other Chinese miners suffered light injuries in the

explosion.

Albanian President Bujar Nishani said he had been following

news of the rescue efforts and was deeply saddened to hear of

their deaths.

"I would like to make an institutional and human appeal to

all concerned to take all necessary measures to make sure these

tragedies are not repeated in Albanian mine galleries and that

those responsible be brought to justice," Nishani said in a

statement sent by his office. 

Reuters

Related Topics: