国内英语新闻:Six trapped in central China coal-gas leak, three reported alive

CHANGSHA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Six men were trapped underground after being overwhelmed by a coal gas leak in central China' s Hunan Province Wednesday. Three of the men remain missing, a government spokesman said.

Rescuers have confirmed that three of the trapped miners are alive as rescue crews had contacted them with underground communication systems, according to a spokesman from Jiahe County Government.h The trapped workers were gas inspectors and repairmen, the spokesman said.

The accident took plane at noon Wednesday in a 30-meter-deep shaft at the Tianxin Mining Company located in Jiahe County of Hunan Province, which is a legal mining company owned by the local township.

A tunnel to reach the trapped men has been completed and the rescue work is continuing.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.