China mine explosion kills 13: Sources

Beijing, Oct 1: A gas explosion in a coal mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province has killed 13 miners in the latest accident to hit the world's deadliest mining industry, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The explosion at the Tianlong coal mine in Jixi City early yesterday had trapped 21 miners working underground but eight people were pulled out alive, Xinhua said late yesterday.

Investigations into the cause of the accident were continuing at the mine, which can produce some 90,000 tons of coal per year, it said.

Last year, 3,300 gas blasts, floods and other accidents killed nearly 6,000 miners across China, according to official figures.

Collieries are struggling to meet booming demand for coal, which fuels about 70 per cent of the nation's energy consumption, but regularly flout safety rules in their rush for profits.

Reuters