Killed in Coal Mine Fire in Northeast China

According to Xinhua News, the fire started at 11 p.m.at Xinghua mine in Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province.

At least 21 people have been killed by a fire at a mine in north-eastern China, while one person is still missing.

Xinhua said 38 miners were working underground when an angle belt caught fire. Rescuers recovered 21 bodies from the mine, and the provincial work safety administration confirmed the death toll, the Associated Press reported.

The fire that broke out last night at the coal mine in Jixi City trapped 22 workers, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In a report by Tribune, the coal firm is said to be the biggest in northeastern China. Accidents in Chinese coal mines killed over 900 people a year ago.

China, which is considered as the world’s largest producer of coal, is struggling to enhance the enforcement of safety regulations in the country’s mining sector.

Many accidents are caused by corrupt bosses seeking profits over worker safety.