12 Killed in Two Separate Coal Mine Blasts

Two separate coal mine accidents have killed 12 people in China over the last 24 hours, reported CCTV.

These are just the latest incidents to plague the industry after the government recently revised mining safety legislation.

An underground coal bunker owned by a firm in Zhongyang County, Shanxi province collapsed right before midnight on Monday, burying and killing five people with two still missing, CCTV said on Tuesday. Authorities were still searching for the missing as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The coal bunker is owned by Taoyuan Xinlong Coal Industry Co. and intense rescue efforts are ongoing, the outlet reported.

The fatal accident in Shanxi comes after its mining safety regulator issued a notice last month telling mines to curb overproduction to prevent accidents. China's top producing coal mine region saw an increase in deaths in 2023.

In a second accident, seven people were found dead and two missing after a gas explosion at Huaihe Energy's coal mine in China's eastern Anhui province, CCTV reported late Monday evening.

In 2023, China had a string of deadly coal mine accidents, forcing the country's mine safety administration to rework an existing law that an official said had "prominent problems" in November, which saw coal prices jump.

Another reported coal mine accident saw at least 10 people die and six missing in the city of Pingdingshan, in central China, in January.