Twenty-three miners were trapped in a coal mine in southwest China on Friday (December 4th) following a gas leak, the China New News Agency reported.
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The accident occurred in the Diaoshuidong mine located in the municipality of Chongqing (southwest), a huge metropolis some 1,800 kilometers from Beijing.
Rescuers were dispatched to the scene and an investigation was opened to determine the causes of this accident, according to New China.
According to the agency, an accident had already occurred in this mine in March 2013. It had left 3 dead.
China, the world's largest producer of coal, is frequently the scene of deadly mine accidents as safety regulations are often poorly enforced.
Already in September, sixteen miners were killed in a coal mine in Chongqing after a gas leak.
In November 2019, at least 15 miners were killed in a firedamp in a mine in Shanxi province (north).
The authorities blamed the explosion on "
illegal
" activities.
