A gas explosion in a coal mine in Western China Friday morning has left 22 miners trapped underground.
The blast took place at around 1.26 A.M.(local time ) while 34 people were still working at the coal mine, according to reports from a government news agency in Changji prefecture. After the blast occurred, 12 people somehow managed to escape but the rest 22 are still trapped beneath the mine, according to an Associated press report.
A rescue team and fire fighters have reached the place and rescue operations have begin. As of now there is no news about the missing 22 mine workers; whether they are injured or dead.
Accidents are common in mines in China. Explosions in mines generally occur when methane gas get trapped in the shaft.
Recently in November, there was a massive pipeline explosion that killed 35 miners in China. The pipeline was owned by the largest oil refinery, the China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. and there was a massive oil spillage. A cleaning up of the spill resulted in two further major explosions, reports Bloomberg .
In October there was an explosion at a gas plant in Shandong where nine died and 200 were injured, according to global post. Safety measure have somewhat reduces the accidents but clearly more stringent measure need to be put into place and mining companies need to follow the safety guidelines.
