Reports: 20 miners dead, 10 trapped in central China coal mine explosion

Rescuers recovered more bodies Sunday from a central China coal mine, bringing the death toll to 20, as thick smoke hampered efforts to reach 10 others trapped inside the mine, state media reported.

An explosion Saturday afternoon at the Pudeng coal mine trapped 30 miners underground, while 95 managed to escape, the Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television reported. As of Sunday afternoon, rescuers had pulled 20 bodies from the mine and were battling smoke from still-burning fires in an effort to reach the remaining 10, Xinhua said.

China's mines are among the deadliest in the world, with an average of 13 miners dying every day in accidents. Explosions are frequent in Chinese coal mines, whose seams often hold pockets of gas. With coal prices high to feed the booming economy's energy demand, mine operators often ignore safety regulations to boost production.

Xinhua said that the Pudeng mine, outside of Linfen city, had previously received an order to suspend production for unspecified reasons, but that the mine's operators resumed operations without a permit.

"Its mining operation was in a mess and (had) poor management," Xinhua said, citing a statement issued by Shanxi province's Bureau of Work Safety.

Authorities launched an investigation into the explosion, and local police have placed the mine's owner and an unspecified number of its managers under surveillance, Xinhua said.

Source : www.usatoday.com