Beijing - Ten workers have been confirmed dead after a gas explosion at a coal mine in south-west China, in the third mining accident this week, state media reported Saturday. The explosion occurred at the Zhenxing Coal Mine in Xingren County, Guizhou province on Thursday night when 172 workers were underground, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
In another accident in the north-east province of Jilin, rescuers were working to save 17 miners trapped underground after a mine flooded on Friday afternoon.
One week ago, 108 miners were killed after a gas explosion at a mine in China's Heilongjiang province.
The accidents are a reminder of the high number of injuries and fatalities that plague China's mining industry. Site owners regularly flout safety regulations to increase production.
China's official mining death toll was 3,215 last year, but industry analysts suspect the actual figure to be higher due to under-reporting.
