China: 17 dead in latest coal mine blast

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING

At least 17 people have been confirmed dead after an explosion hit a coal mine in China's northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

State news agency Xinhua reported Saturday that local authorities said “many others” remain trapped underground in Chifeng City.

Earlier Saturday, authorities in northeast Heilongjiang province had confirmed that 21 people were killed and one remained trapped after a separate explosion at a coal mine in Qitaihe city.

Chinese mines are among some of the most dangerous in the world due to lax regulations and poor operating procedures.

In recent years, the country has produced more than one-third of the world's annual coal output, but accounted for more than two-thirds of global mining deaths annually, according to the Mining Technology journal.

An explosion at a coal mine in southwest Chongqing Municipality in late October left 33 people dead.

In March, 19 people died after a coalmine collapsed in northern China while 129 workers were working underground.