At least 34 miners were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in the central province of Henan today, local officials and state media reported.
The blast occurred around dawn in a coal mine belonging to the state-run Henan Hebi Coal Company, Xinhua news agency said. So far, 34 bodies have been found, an official at the company said.
Much of China shuts down during the current National Day holiday week but the unrelenting demand for coal to drive the country's booming economy forces many mines to remain open.
China's mines are the world's deadliest with safety often sacrificed. In recent years, Beijing has tried various measures to improve mine safety but they have all been largely ineffective, with figures showing around 6,000 miners die every year through accidents often linked to poor safety measures.
The Henan Hebi Coal Company official insisted the mine where the blast took place today was 'up to standard'. The company is registered as a large state-run enterprise and runs eight major mines with annual production at more than seven million tons.
In August, China ordered 7,000 coal mines to suspend operations by the end of the year to curb deaths from accidents linked to poor safety standards.
