Dozens killed in mine accident in China
by Dallas Johnson
An explosion at a mine in China killed at least 42 workers Saturday, CNN reported.
The gas explosion left at least 66 others trapped around 500 meters below ground in the state-run coal mine in northern China, MSNBC reported. Rescue efforts are underway.
Rescue efforts have been difficult because the explosion cut power, ventilation and communication links.
Around 530 workers were at the mine around 2:30 a.m. Saturday when the explosion occured at the Heilongjiang Longmei's Xinxing mine which is operated by the Hegang company.
The mines in China are the world's deadliest and he incident shows the difficulty the Chinese government has trying to make mines safer.
The incident is troublesome to the Chinese government because generally larger, state-run mines are considered safer than smaller, private ones. China now faces a difficult task of boosting the industry's safety.
China has been tracking down on unregulated mines, which accounts for almost 80 percent of the 16,000 mines in the country.
China closed about 1,000 small mines last year, halfing the number of miners killed.
The government faces a difficult balance, however, as the country depends heavily on coal mines to power three-quarters of the country's electricity needs.
