The workers’ bodies were all recovered from the Longma operation early Thursday morning, according to Xinhua, and an investigation has commenced to determine the cause.
China, one of the most deadly areas to mine coal in the world, has suffered a particularly frequent string of tragedies in recent days. Fifteen bodies were pulled from a mine in the country’s Hunan province February 10 after a gas-triggered explosion, and a cave-in February 18 in the province of Liaoning spared the lives of seven miners but killed four of their team.
In response to the increasing number of deaths in the country’s mining industry, the Chinese Government announced earlier this week it will close all small coal mining operations by 2015 in an attempt to increase safety. About 2334 collieries will be affected by the decision and will be idled by the Ministry of Land and Resources.
