By Mahmut Atanur
BEIJING (AA) – A gas explosion at a coal mine has left at least six people dead in China’s southwest Yunnan province.
State news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that it remained unclear how many others were trapped or sustained injuries after the blast took place before noon Tuesday in Yanjin County.
Rescue operations at the Shaba Coal Mine are ongoing, amid an investigation into the cause behind the incident.
In recent years, China 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 Mining Technology.
In January, 11 workers were killed after a coal mine collapsed in northwest Shan Xi province, while in February a gas leak at a coal mine in northeast Jilin Province left 12 miners dead.
In late March, 19 people died after a coal mine collapsed in northern China while 129 workers were working underground.
