The death toll in a coal mine roof collapse in northern China has risen to 21 after rescuers found two more miners dead on Sunday morning.
The accident happened around 4:30 pm local time (8:30 GMT) Saturday at the Lijiagou coal mine of the Baiji Mining Co. Ltd. in the city of Shenmu. A total of 87 people were working underground in the Shaanxi province mine at the time of the accident on Saturday afternoon.
All the 21 miners trapped underground were confirmed dead after a roof collapse happened in a coal mine in Northwest China’s Shaanxi province.
The cause of the accident, run by privately owned Baiji Mining, is still under investigation. But information surrounding the nature of the accident is sketchy and local workers have suggested it cannot be disclosed and is being controlled. None of whom are willing to give an ‘on the record’ interview.
Chinese industries are notorious for limited health & safety provisions. And private coal mines in China, are typically amongst the worst culprits, taking fewer safety precautions than larger state-owned mines.
Shenmu is a county-level city in the north of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Mongolia to the northwest and is west of Beijing. It is a very green district with many natural resources, including coal.
Deadly mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record despite efforts to improve coal production conditions and crack down on illegal mines.
In December last year, seven miners were killed and three others injured in an accident at a coal mine in China´s southwest.
According to China´s National Coal Mine Safety Administration, the country saw 375 coal mining related deaths in 2017, down 28.7 percent year-on-year.
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