Eight dead, three missing in C.China coal mine blast

Eight people have been confirmed dead and three are missing after a blast hit a coal mine in central China’s Hunan province on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 1.37 am at the Zubao mine in Lianyuan, located 190 kilometres from the province capital Changsha, local authorities said.

A total of 29 people were working underground when the incident took place, with 18 people rescued, according to a statement from China’s national safety regulator, the State Administration of Work Safety.

One person is injured and three people remained unaccounted for, Yang Guangrong the vice governor of Hunan who headed the rescue work said.

The cause of the blast has not been identified but the site is considered a “high gas mine”.

The mine is owned by Tengfei Coal Mine Co. Ltd in Doulishan township in Lianyuan.