Coal mine fire claims 21 lives in northeast China

A fire at a coal mine in northeastern China has claimed the lives of 21 people and left another person missing.

The fire broke out late Friday evening at a mine located in the city Jixi in Heilongjiang Province, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The mine is operated by the state-owned Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group.

Rescue workers have recovered the bodies of the 21 victims and were searching for the missing person, the local government announced.

The provincial work safety administration has confirmed the death toll from the incident, whose cause still remains unknown.

A total of 38 miners were working underground when the fire erupted, according to Xinhua. Following the incident, 16 people were pulled out to safety. The fire is currently said to be brought under control.

China, which is considered as the world’s largest producer of coal, is struggling to enhance the enforcement of safety regulations in the country’s mining sector. Last year, accidents in coal mines reportedly killed 931 people across the East Asian state.

Back in July, six people were rescued from a flooded coal mine in Heilongjiang Province after one week of remaining trapped there in an accident that killed at least four people.

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