NINE DEAD IN W SUMATRA MINE EXPLOSION

Padang, June 17 (ANTARA) - Nine people have been killed while 27 others were believed still trapped in a pit tens of meters under the ground following an explosion in a coal mine in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, early on Tuesday.

The explosion did not only affect workers in the mine run by CV Perdana in Ngalau Cigak, around five kilometers from Sawahlunto, but also those who worked at the entrance of the pit due to heat from flames and materials coming out of the pit, ANTARA learned at the location.

"The blast occurred at around 10am when some 35 people and several supervisors were in the pit," Ali Munaf, one of the survivors, said.

Another survivor, Edi (37), said he heard a loud explosion, followed by flames coming out of the pit.

"The flames brought heat that forced workers outside the pit to lie down for safety," he said, adding he was around 200 meter from the edge of the pit.

He said the flames rose up to 50 meter high and therefore workers outside the pit were also affected.

Immediate efforts to save workers were difficult to do due to thick clouds caused by debris and for fear of other fires.

The pit had a lot of channels making it difficult for rescuers to determine the location of the trapped workers.

Eight workers who were wounded in the incident had been brought to a local hospital.

Until around 5pm search and police teams were able to evacuate several workers who had all been killed, with burns all over their bodies.

According to a former employee of PT Tambang Bukit Asam, Indra Yosep, the blast was probably caused by a short circuit from an electricity generator used to power lights and vehicles to transport coal out of the pit.