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China gas blast kills dozens

March 30, 2013

Dozens of miners have been killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northeast China. The latest incident further damages the Chinese mining industry’s poor safety record.

https://p.dw.com/p/1874q
Chinese rescuers walk out of the shaft at the Yongsheng Coal Mine where 11 miners are being trapped after a gas explosion in Qinghua town, Wanyuan city, southwest Chinas Sichuan province, 10 September 2012.
Image: picture alliance / dpa

China's State Administration of Work and Safety said it was investigating the cause of the explosion on Saturday which left at least 28 people dead.

According to the nation's official Xinhua News Agency a further 13 people were rescued after the blast struck the state-owned mine outside the city of Baishan in Jilin province late on Friday.

Citing a spokesman with the provincial work safety and supervision bureau, Xinhua reported that rescue operations at Bibao Coal mine had now ceased.

China's mines are among the deadliest in the world, with frequent accidents blamed on lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency. The nation is the world's biggest consumer of coal, relying on the fossil fuel for 70 percent of its energy needs.

ccp/ch (AFP, AP)