68 Dead, Dozens Missing in China Mine Blast
BEIJING — An explosion tore through a coal mine in northeastern China on Sunday, leaving at least 68 people dead and dozens missing, state media outlets reported.
About 220 miners were underground when the blast occurred at the Dongfeng mine in Qitaihe, a city in Heilongjiang province, the official China News Service said, citing the local coal mine safety administration.
Seventy miners had been rescued, it said. The report added that the cause of the blast was under investigation.
The site is owned by the Heilongjiang Longme Mining Co., a conglomerate of four state-owned coal businesses in the province, the official New China News Agency said, citing provincial officials.
China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest. Fires, floods or explosions are reported almost daily, and thousands of miners are killed every year.
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