37 missing in China mine blast
BEIJING, China -- Thirty-seven coal miners are missing and feared dead after a gas explosion in a mine in the northeastern city of Jixi, city officials told state-run Chinese media.
The blast in the province of Heilongjiang is the latest in a string of accidents in the country's notoriously dangerous mining industry.
Rescuers had gained access to the state-owned Baixing coal mine, but no miners had been found, Li Wenzhong, an official with the provincial production safety department, told Reuters.
"The cause of the blast is under investigation," Li added.
The blast happened a day after China declared that coal production would reach a record 1.7 billion tonnes this year.
China has the world's largest and deadliest mining industry, with accidents at mines killing thousands every year.
Earlier this month, 29 people were killed by explosives at a deserted mine in Shanxi province.
