Coal mine blast in Mexico: 66 workers trapped

An explosion in a coal mine in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila has left 66 workers trapped underground.

Photo: Coal mine blast in Mexico: 66 workers trapped

Emergency teams are working to free the miners, amid reports that their oxygen supplies are running low.

Several miners who were outside the pit at the time of the blast are being treated for burns and broken bones.

The blast is thought to have been caused by gasses igniting inside the mine, which is located near the town of San Juan Sabinas.

Mexican soldiers and state police are at the scene to help with the rescue effort.

"Right now we are working on getting out the gas," Sergio Guajardo, a Red Cross spokesman, told Reuters news agency. "The ventilators are working at full speed."

The fate of the miners is not yet known and rescue workers say they do not know how long it will take to reach them, reports BBC news.

I.L.