10 killed in coal mine accident in China

Beijing, January 13

10 people were killed and six others missing after an accident in a coal mine in central China’s Henan, local authorities said early on Saturday.

The accident, a likely coal and gas explosion described as an ‘outburst’, happened around 2:55 pm, on Friday, in Pingdingshan, state broadcaster CCTV said.

According to the local government, 10 people were killed, state-run China Daily reported.

The accident happened in a coal mine of the Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining Co Ltd.

A total of 425 people were working underground when the accident took place, and 380 of them have been lifted out of the mine, official news agency Xinhua reported.

Rescue work is still underway. People in charge of the coal mine have been kept in custody by public security authorities.

Mining accidents are common in China. However, the number of deaths has reduced in recent years.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal. China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest, with frequent mine accidents.