At least 10 killed in China mining accident

At least 10 people have died and six are missing after an accident at a coal mine in central China, according to the local emergency management agency and state media.

At least 10 people have died and six are missing after an accident at a coal mine in central China, according to the local emergency management agency and state media.

In a statement on Saturday, the agency said it would continue rescue operations at the mine in the city of Pingdingshan and conduct citywide safety checks.

A total of 425 people were working underground when the accident took place, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Pingdingshan’s emergency management bureau said the accident occurred at about 2:55pm (06:55 GMT) on Friday due to a coal and gas outburst at the mine owned by China’s Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining company.

The emergency agency said it was investigating the cause of the accident.

A safety inspection campaign in coal-rich Pingdingshan, in Henan province, could disrupt coal production there and strain coal supplies.

Last November, coal prices in China jumped after the country’s cabinet promised to ramp up safety checks as deaths from accidents in the top coal-producing region Shanxi rose sharply.