ZHENGZHOU, China, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A gas explosion in a coal mine in China's central province of Henan killed 29 people and injured six more, state media reported Friday.
The injured were hospitalized, with two of them in serious condition, China Daily reported.
The explosion occurred at the Xinsheng Coal Mine in Liangwa town at about 12:20 p.m. Thursday.
Rescue workers, arriving at the scene shortly after the blast, went into the mine shaft to search for survivors, despite the high levels of toxic fumes still inside the mine, said Zhang Jufeng, director of the local coal mine bureau and the official in charge of rescue operations.
Zhang said most of the employees at the mine were local residents.
Last month 141 miners died in a major explosion at a Henan coal mine, and 16 were killed in a similar accident last week in the northern province of Shanxi.
At least 7,000 miners die every year in China's coal mines, according to official figures.
