At least 10 dead in China mining incident: State media
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BEIJING – At least 10 people were killed and six are missing after an incident at a coal mine in central China’s Henan province, state media said on Jan 13.
It was likely a coal and gas explosion, described as an “outburst”, state broadcaster CCTV said.
The incident occurred at around 2.55pm local time on Jan 12 in Pingdingshan, the report said.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
State news agency Xinhua said 425 people were working underground when the blast took place.
Those in charge of the mine were taken into custody by the authorities, Xinhua said.
Mining safety in China has improved in recent decades, as has media coverage of major incidents, many of which were once overlooked.
However, such incidents are still common in an industry with a poor safety record and where regulations are not necessarily enforced.
In 2022, 245 people died in 168 accidents, according to official figures.
In December, 12 people were killed and 13 injured in a mining incident on the outskirts of Jixi city in north-eastern Heilongjiang province.
Eleven people were killed in November in an incident at another coal mine in the same province.
In September, at least 16 people were killed in a coal mine fire
