12 people killed in two separate coal mining incidents in China

At least 12 people have passed away in two separate coal mining incidents in China in the last 24 hours, Channel News Asia reported on Tuesday via Reuters.

One accident occurred in the Zhongyang County, Shanxi province on Monday, when an underground bunker owned by Taoyuan Xinlong Coal Industry, suddenly collapsed just before midnight trapping seven people inside. 

Five bodies have been found with two missing as rescue operations are still under way.

According to local sources, mining safety regulators had issued a notice to Shanxi coal bunker last month to limit overproduction to prevent any accidents.

The Shanxi province is China’s top coal mine producing region which oversaw a surge in deaths in 2023.

In an another incident, seven people died, while two are still missing following a deadly a gas explosion in Eastern China’s Anhui province.

The explosion, which left 24 people in a life threatening situation, occurred at the Xieqiao mine and is owned by the Huaihe Energy Group.

Due to a surge in deaths caused by coal mining incidents, China’s mine safety administration updated their existing laws in 2023, which according to an official had “prominent problems”.

Coal mining incidents in China are not rare as only last month, 10 people had been killed in an accident in Pingdingshan in central China, which pushed authorities to carry out safety checks.