5 Rescued from collapsed Chinese mine

Five miners were rescued on Saturday after languishing for at least 24 hours in a collapsed mine in northern China, where seven colleagues remain trapped, state media said. Two of the rescued were pulled out after 24 hours underground while the fifth to be saved surfaced about 30 hours after the mine collapsed, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. All five rescued were sent to hospital where they were reported to be in a stable condition. Two of the seven miners still underground have been confirmed alive and were being given food and water through a lifeline drilled by rescuers, Xinhua said, citing sources at the mine in the coal-rich Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. An initial investigation found that the mine's support pillars were "insufficient", Xinhua said. The accident early Friday was the latest in an industry plagued by corruption and safety hazards. Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit. Last week, at least 34 workers were killed after a blast at a mine in the southwestern province of Yunnan, Xinhua reported on November 13, three days after that accident. China's rapid economic growth has brought rising demand for power. It relies on coal for 70 percent of its energy needs, making it the world's largest consumer of the fossil fuel. Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day. Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.