Death toll in China mine accident rises to 21

The number of people killed at a coal mine in northern China has risen to 21, local officials say. 

The final death toll was confirmed by Datong city officials in Shanxi Province on Thursday.

Search teams and rescue workers have recovered 21 bodies from the site of the collapsed mine, located near the northern city of Datong.

The incident happened when water rushed into a shaft inside the Jiangjiawan mine on Sunday evening.

Experts say such accidents are usually caused by breaches of abandoned shafts where water has collected over time.

Of a total of 247 miners who were underground, 226 people were rescued.

Hundreds of rescuers have been trying to save those trapped underground by pumping water and drilling holes from the surface. Over 1,500 cubic meters of water has been pumped out of the mine so far.

The world’s deadliest mine accidents reportedly occur in China, although the mines’ safety record has been steadily improving in recent years as authorities have enhanced enforcement of safety regulations.

China’s notoriously dangerous mines have seen declining deaths in recent years because of safety improvements as well as a decreasing demand for coal.

JR/KA

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