12 miners killed in gas leak at China coal mine

At least twelve people have been killed in a gas leak at a coal mine in northeast China.

The incident occurred after coal gas flooded a colliery in the northeastern province of Jilin on Sunday, the Xinhua news service reported on Monday.

A total of 316 rescuers and 46 medical staffers worked to rescue the trapped miners.

However, they managed to take only one of the miners to a hospital, and confirmed that the other 12 trapped miners were dead. The rescue mission ended on Monday morning.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

This is not the first time that such an accident claims the lives of coal miners in China – the world’s largest producer of coal.

Last year, accidents in coal mines across the country reportedly killed 931 people.

China is struggling to step up enforcement of safety regulations in the mining sector.