China: 21 dead in coal mine fire in Heilongjiang district

Twenty-one miners have been reported dead in a fire at a coal mine operated by the Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group Co., in the city of Jixi. One person is still missing.

According to local news source Xinhua, 38 miners were at work underground when the fire first broke out on Friday night and 16 managed to escape while others were trapped inside. Authorities stated the fire was now under control, but there has been no information as to its cause.

China is one of the world's biggest producers of coal. But is also known to have some of the most dangerous mines and unsafe mining standards.

On 4 November this year, a gas explosion at an illegal coal mine in the Jiangxi province of East China caused a section of the shaft to collapse. Ten miners died in the incident and the owner of the mine was taken into police custody.