China: 21 Confirmed Dead After Blast At Coal Mine

Chinese officials have confirmed that 21 people have died and one remains trapped after an explosion hit a coal mine in northeast Heilongjiang province earlier this week.



State news agency Xinhua reported Saturday that provincial authorities said rescue efforts launched after the blast Tuesday remain ongoing at the private coal mine in Qitaihe city.



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.



An explosion at a coal mine in southwest Chongqing Municipality in late October left 33 people dead.



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