The blast at the pit in Yuzhou killed 29 miners. Authorities soon launched a rescue operation, helping six miners get out and transporting them to a hospital for treatment, authorities told the official news agency.One miner who had remained alive was later found dead, it said.
China’s mining industry is the most dangerous in the world – more than 2,600 miners were killed in accidents in 2009. The government has shut down more than 1,000 illegal pits this year as part of efforts to improve safety standards. Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in China, although this was an improvement on the toll of 2,631 a year earlier.
According to Xinhua, Xialiuchong Coal Mine is state-owned and has been in operation for 40 years. It is legally operated, with more than 160 miners typically on site.
The gas explosion happened yesterday afternoon at the state-owned Xialiuchong colliery in Hunan province’s Hengyang while 35 miners were at work, the report said.