Gas explosion leaves 13 dead in central China

[News_Editor]

Gas explosion leaves 13 dead in central China

2010-12-08 11:01:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 13 people on Tuesday were killed after a gas explosion at a coal mine in Henan province, central China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The blast took place at about 7:40 p.m. local time at a pit of Juyuan Coal Industry Company in Mianchi county, Sanmenxia city about 300 kilometers from the provincial capital Zhengzhou.

Local authorities informed that at the moment of the blast there were 33 miners working underground. Form this amount, 13 died and the remaining 20 individuals survived the accident.

The mine was recently renamed after its recent merger into he state-owned Yi Ma Coal Industry Group. It was under reform and industry re-grouping and was not allowed to operate in the mean time.

The Yi Ma Coal Industry Group has coal mines in five provinces and regions across the country and employs approximately 50,000 workers. The coal mine produces 150,000 tons of coal per year.

In China, gas explosions, floods and fires are frequent in coal mines and in consequence, hundreds of miners are killed each year. In 2008, China recorded 3,215 deaths related to mine accidents.

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