Death toll from coal mine blast in China rises to 32

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING

The death toll from a gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has risen to 32

State news agency Xinhua reported Sunday that of the 181 miners working underground at time of the accident Saturday, 149 managed to escape in the city of Chifeng.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

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.

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

A blast at a coal mine in southwest Chongqing Municipality in late October left 33 people dead.

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