Coal-mine blast in China kills at least 42

HARBIN, China (AP) — Rescuers working in bitter cold and darkness tried to reach 66 people believed trapped a third of a mile underground after a huge gas explosion Saturday ripped through a coal mine in northern China, killing at least 42 people.

The pre-dawn blast at the state-run Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province near the border with Russia is the latest to hit China’s mining industry, the world’s deadliest. Authorities say safety is improving, but hundreds still die in major accidents each year.

Large state-owned coal mines, such as Xinxing, are generally considered safer than smaller, private ones that account for the bulk of production. The blast underscores the difficulties the government faces in trying to boost safety while maintaining output. Coal is vital to the vast population and booming economy, as China uses it to generate about three-quarters of its electricity.

Some 528 miners were underground at the time. The State Administration of Work Safety said 389 of them managed to escape.