COAL MINE COLLAPSES IN CHINA, KILLING AT LEAST 21

BEIJING: At least 21 coal miners were killed when a mine collapsed in northern China, state media reported on Sunday.

The disaster occurred on Saturday in Shenmu in Shaanxi province in the heart of the country’s coal-mining belt, according to state TV and the Xinhua news agency. Sixty-six other miners were rescued, the city government said in a statement.

A total of 87 people were working underground in the Shaanxi province mine at the time of the accident, Xinhua reported citing local authorities. Rescuers had been searching for two remaining trapped miners but found them dead on Sunday, the report said. Another 66 miners were safely evacuated from the mine.

The cause of the accident at the site, run by privately owned Baiji Mining, is still under investigation. Private coal mines in China typically take fewer safety precautions than larger stateowned mines.

Deadly mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record despite efforts to improve coal production conditions and crack down on illegal mines. In December last year, seven miners were killed and three others injured in an accident at a coal mine in China’s southwest.

In October, 21 miners died in eastern Shandong province after pressure inside a mine caused rocks to fracture and break, blocking the tunnel and trapping workers. Only one miner was rescued alive. According to China’s National Coal Mine Safety Administration, the country saw 375 coal mining related deaths in 2017, down 28.7% yearon-year.