At least 17 coal miners have been killed in a gas explosion in an underground mine in southwest China.
A further six have been injured, one seriously, at the ShangChang coal mine in Yunnan province. A total of 66 workers were underground at the time of the explosion, blamed on a build up of gas.
The fatalities come just days after a flood in a mine in China’s northeastern Heilongjiang province that has left 11 miners unaccounted for. Of the 22 miners working when the mine was flooded, three have been confirmed dead and eight escaped.
In November, at least 22 miners were killed in an explosion in a mine in southwestern Guizhou province.
Edited from various sources by Lauren Bryant.