China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING - THIRTY-ONE miners died from gas inhalation in a coal mine in central China early on Sunday, and nine others were still missing, state media said.
The deaths occurred in the pre-dawn hours in a coal mine near the city of Dengfeng in Henan province, Xinhua news agency said.
The report said 108 miners were underground at the time, and that 68 had escaped.
Efforts were under way to locate the nine missing miners, it added.
China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet surging demand for coal - the source of about 70 per cent of the country's energy.
Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures, although independent monitors say the real figure is probably much higher as many accidents are covered up.
At least five miners were killed and 26 others were trapped when a fire broke out Saturday in a coal mine in northeastern China, the official China News Service reported earlier.
That accident occurred in the city of Hegang in Heilongjiang province. -- AFP
