Rescuers continue search for trapped Chinese miners in Albania

 Albanian rescue teams on Tuesday continued their search for three Chinese miners trapped in a chrome mine in the northern Albanian town of Bulqiza.

Two Albanian rescue teams have been sent in for the search operation, together with Albanian and Chinese mining experts, after a hydrogen gas explosion in the chrome mine on Saturday, said Mehmet Hasalami, head of the Albanian Mining Rescue Unit.

"The underground explosion has destroyed the ventilation system in the mine. We are rebuilding the airing system and clearing the rocks that block the entrance to the well," said Hasalami.

"Rescuers have managed to reach some 200 meters away from the spot where the Chinese miners are believed to be trapped," he said, adding that situation down the well is crucial because hydrogen may cause the second explosion.

There has been no contact of any kind with the three Chinese miners since Saturday afternoon, reports said.

The Albanian government and the Chinese Embassy in Tirana have dispatched a working group to the mine, respectively.

The Chinese Embassy confirmed on Sunday that three other Chinese miners inflicted minor injuries in the accident.

source: Xinhua