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Gas explosion in coal mine kills 26 in China: report
Rescuers prepare to enter a coal mine after a gas explosion in Mianchi county of Sanmenxia, Henan Province December 8, 2010 in this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua News Agency. Credit: Reuters/Xinhua/Zhu Xiang
BEIJING | Tue Dec 7, 2010 11:00pm EST
BEIJING (Reuters) - A gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine killed 26 miners in central Henan province, state media reported on Wednesday, the latest accident in a country with a history of mine disasters.
The accident occurred on Tuesday when 46 miners were working, Xinhua news agency said, adding that 20 other miners were pulled to safety.
China's mines are the deadliest in the world, due to lax safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a robust economy. More than 2,600 people died in coal mine accidents in 2009 alone.
In late October, flooding in a Chinese coal mine killed 12 miners in southwestern Guizhou province.
(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Ken Wills and Sanjeev Miglani)
