Twenty die, 17 missing in China mine disaster

Twenty Chinese miners have been killed and another 17 are missing after an accident underground in the central province of Henan Saturday.

Reuters

The mine in the city of Yuzhou was hit by a "sudden coal and gas outburst" as 276 miners were at work below ground, the national work safety agency says on its website.

A total of 239 miners made it to the surface following the accident.

Rescuers are continuing to try to reach the missing miners.

Chinese mines are notoriously dangerous due to the widespread flouting of safety rules. The negligence is often blamed on corrupt mine operators trying to keep costs down.

China’s poor safety record has come under fresh scrutiny after the successful rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in Chile for more than two months.

Last year 2,631 Chinese miners were killed, according to official statistics, but independent labour groups put the figure much higher as many accidents are believed to be covered up.

Coal provides about 70 per cent of China’s energy.

The Henan mine is jointly owned by state-owned China Power Investment Corp.
and another firm, Xinhua news agency says.