Rescuers blast tunnel to reach trapped miners

Flash

Chinese rescuers have blasted through the debris of a landslide in an effort to open a shaft to reach 27 trapped miners in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

But more blasts are needed. About 1.5 million cubic meters of rock and dirt are slumped 600 meters from a nearby mountain. Experts say food and water cannot be sent into the shaft, and the air supply in the mine will only be able to support the miners for about a week.

So far, 72 people remain missing, including the 27 miners who were working underground. Eight people have been rescued and are now being treated at local hospitals. An investigation into the cause of the landslide has begun.