Twenty-six miners were killed and 11 are missing when coal dust triggered a gas explosion at a mining pit in Henan province, the Wall Street Journal reported. The accident is the second such incident at the mine – a similar gas leak in 2008 killed 23 miners. The mine is owned by a consortium of companies, including China Power Investment. Du Bo, deputy director of the mine’s rescue operations, warned that the missing miners could be buried in coal dust, and that chances of a rescue were slim. The episode contrasts poorly with a recent successful mine rescue operation in Chile, and a previous rescue attempt in April when 115 miners were rescued from a mine in Shanxi province. While recent efforts have been made to improve mining safety, last year China reported 2,631 mining deaths, the highest in the world.
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