12 Workers Killed In China Mine Blast

Chinese mine

12 people have been killed and two others injured in a coal mine blast in southwestern China, according to state media.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the gas explosion occurred on Friday night in Pingba county in Guizhou province.

The coal mine was operating illegally and the operators had lied about the number of trapped miners and deaths. An investigation is under way, Xinhua said.

A work safety official from the city of Anshun, which administers Pingba, who gave his name as Lin, however said the mine was licensed and operated privately.

Although authorities have tightened safety in recent years, China’s mines are the deadliest in the world and regulations are often ignored.

144 mine workers have died in separate accidents in 2013, ranging from landslide to outburst and explosion.