BFF- 31 16 dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in Chinese coal mine

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BFF- 31

CHINA-ACCIDENT-MINING LEAD

16 dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in Chinese coal mine

BEIJING, Sept 27, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Sixteen workers died and one is in a
critical condition after being trapped underground in a coal mine in
southwest China on Sunday, reported state broadcaster CCTV.

A conveyor belt caught fire in the early hours of the morning, state news
agency Xinhua cited the government as saying, which produced dangerous levels
of carbon monoxide.

Medics are fighting to save the life of the remaining survivor, CCTV
reported.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, said the Qijiang
district government on social media platform Weibo.

The facility, Songzao Coal Mine, is owned by state energy firm Chongqing
Energy and located just outside the city of Chongqing. Mining accidents are
common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations
are often weakly enforced.

At least 14 miners were killed in a coal and gas blast last December at a
mine in southwestern Guizhou province.

In December 2018, seven miners were killed in Chongqing after the
connecting segment of a skip broke and fell down a shaft.

In October the same year, 21 miners died in eastern Shandong province after
pressure inside a mine caused rocks to fracture and break, blocking the
tunnel and trapping the workers. Only one miner was rescued alive.

BSS/AFP/ARS/1556 hrs