Shanghai - At least 61 people were killed after gas explosions ripped through coalmines in eastern and central China, officials said yesterday. Officials at a state-run coalmine in Zhejiang province said 32 people were killed and nine seriously injured when a gas explosion ripped through the mine.
Built-up coal gas in a shaft of Changxing county's Zhejiang Changguang Coal Mine erupted into an inferno at 8.18 a.m. on Saturday, a manager said. Only one miner who was underground at the time escaped without serious injury. A further 29 people were dead and 35 missing after a similar explosion in Henan province.
About 10,000 miners die every year in China in accidents. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, which provides for more than 70 per cent of the country's energy needs.