Authorities say at least 11 people were killed on the outskirts of the historic city of Yanan in the mountainous Shaanxi province. The explosion took place at 8:26pm (12:26 GMT) on Monday at the Xintai Coal Mine near Yanan, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the municipal emergency management bureau.
Some 90 people were in the mine at the time of the explosion, nine of whom were trapped inside and were “found with no vital signs” by 9am on Tuesday, according to CCTV.
Two others who made it to the surface “were seriously injured and died after resuscitation efforts failed”, the broadcaster said.
The provincial Department of Emergency Management confirmed the explosion on social media.
Hong Kong’s news outlet China Daily reported that rescue efforts were under way as local emergency management, fire rescue, mining rescue and public security authorities rushed to the scene.
China remains dependent on coal for the bulk of its energy and is the world’s largest producer and consumer of the fuel.
Credit: aljazeera.com
