At least 9 dead in central China's coalmine blast
MOSCOW. August 3. KAZINFORM At least nine people were killed in a midnight blast at a coalmine in central China's Henan Province, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday early morning. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
The agency said that a total of 127 miners were underground when a gas leak caused the blast. Seven miners remain trapped underground, while 111 were lifted safely to the ground after the explosion.
Vice governors Li Ke and Shi Jichun are at the scene of the incident to personally oversee the relief operation, the agency said.
The coal industry in energy-hungry China is one of the most dangerous in the world due to poor work safety standards and intensive work schedules. Some 7,000 lives are lost annually in accidents at coal mines in the country. Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru