Forty miners were killed and another 115 were listed as missing after an explosion at a coal mine in China’s northeast Heilongjiang province, the government said on Monday.
A total of 220 miners were underground when the accident at the Dongfeng coal mine occurred at 9.40pm (1.40pm GMT) on Sunday, with 65 miners so far rescued, the State Administration for Coal Mine Safety said on its website.
State television showed survivors from the coal dust explosion being helped out of the mine, while more rescue teams were being dispatched into the pit.
Investigators said the accident was caused by a coal-dust explosion, which knocked out all the ventilation systems in the pit, according to Xinhua news agency.
Heilongjiang Longmei Group, a mining conglomerate of four major state-owned coal businesses with a registered capital of 13-billion yuan ($1,6-billion), owns the Dongfeng mine, Xinhua said.
The China News Service said the Dongfeng mine was fully licensed.
China’s mines, many of them illegal, are considered the most dangerous in the world, and the problem has worsened in recent years as demand for raw materials has escalated to help fuel the nation’s rapid economic growth.
More than 6 000 miners died in accidents in China last year, according to previously released government figures. Independent estimates say the real figure could be as high as 20 000. – AFP
