China Mine Accident Kills 19

At least 19 people have been killed in a coal mine accident in China, state media and officials said Thursday, in what is believed to be one of the deadliest such incidents so far this year.

The accident happened on Wednesday night at a mine in the northern province of Shanxi owned by Shanxi Datong Coal Mine Group, the official Xinhua news agency said, without giving further details.

The provincial Communist Youth League said on a verified social media account that 129 miners had been working at the time and 110 escaped, adding the cause was under investigation.

China is the world’s largest coal producer, and deadly accidents in the sector are common.