China: 11 trapped in latest coal mine gas blast

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING (AA) – China authorities revealed Tuesday that 11 workers were trapped in the latest gas explosion to hit a coal mine in the country.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the accident took place in Badong County in central Hubei province Monday night, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Last week, at least 21 miners were killed following a blast at a coal mine in northeast Heilongjiang province, and 32 others in a similar incident in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Chinese mines are among some of the most dangerous in the world due to lax regulations and poor operating procedures.

In recent years, the country has produced more than one-third of the world's annual coal output, but accounted for more than two-thirds of global mining deaths annually, according to the Mining Technology journal.

A blast at a coal mine in southwest Chongqing Municipality in late October left 33 people dead.

In March, 19 people died after a coal mine collapsed in northern China while 129 workers were working underground.