China coal mine: 21 dead after roof collapses in Lijiagou

Rescuers free 66 workers after accident in Shaanxi province

Rescuers at the mine near the city of Shenmu in Shaanxi province (EPA/XINHUA)

At least 21 people have been killed after a roof collapsed at a coal mine in northern China, according to reports.

Sixty-six other people were rescued after the accident on Saturday at the Lijiagou mine near the city of Shenmu in Shaanxi province.

The cause of the collapse at the site, run by the Baiji Mining Company, is under investigation, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Deadly mining accidents are common in China, however the number of fatalities reported in caveins, explosions and other disasters in Chinese coal mines has fallen sharply over the past decade.

According to China’s National Coal Mine Safety Administration, there were 375 deaths in coal mines in 2017, a fall of 28.7 per cent from the previous year.

But despite improvements, the organisation said “the situation of coal mine safety production is still grim”, following a coal mine safety conference last January.

In October last year at least 21 people were killed at the Lognyun mine in Shandong province after a rock burst blocked a tunnel and trapped workers inside. Only one miner was rescued alive.

In December seven miners were killed and three others injured in an accident at a mine in Chongqing municipality.

Additional reporting by AP