11 coal mine explosion victims still in critical condition

Eleven victims of a coal mine explosion which left three workers dead in Pantu, Sri Aman Division yesterday, are still at the intensive care unit of the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS) here.

According to an HUS staff, their condition was critical but stable, and that they suffered breathing difficulties.

Another seven victims are recuperating in a regular ward, he said when met here today.

Apart from HUS, three other victims have been warded at the Sri Aman Hospital, and five more were in two private hospitals here.

The workers killed in the 9am explosion at Selantik were identified as Indonesian national Kardianto, 38, North Korean Pang Chung Hyok, 29, and Myanmar Tun Tun Win, 29.

The bodies, currently kept at the Sri Aman Hospital will be transferred to HUS for post-mortem tomorrow.

The other injured workers comprise North Koreans, Indonesians, Myanmar, Chinese nationals and Bangladeshis.

The blast was believed to have been caused by sparks from a faulty fan which ignited a gas fire which caused an explosion in a 69-metre deep tunnel at the mine.

The mine, located about three kilometres from the Sri Aman main road had been in operation for eight years with 119 foreign workers - North Koreans (46), Indonesians (19), Myanmar (29), Chinese (15) and Bangladeshi (10).

The last explosion at a coal mine in the state was in Abok in 2012, in which four Chinese nationals were killed.