Death toll in China coal mine tops 30

Anger at poor safety regulations is growing as hope fades for six more miners trapped underground.

An accident in China’s Henan province on Saturday is the first since the miracle rescue of Chile’s Los 33, and critics are saying the incident highlights how far China’s safety standards lag behind the rest of the world. An astounding 2,600 miners die in China every year according to government statistics. A gas pipe burst in the Henan mine and caused 2,500 tonnes of coal dust to fall in on the 276 workers below. Two hundred and thirty-nine miners made it out, 31 were killed, and a further six are still trapped underground. There is little hope that they will be rescued. Survivors reported that the mine’s emergency stations were filled with debris rather than safety equipment.