CHENGDE, China, May 19 (UPI) -- A gas explosion early Thursday in a mine in northern China trapped 51 miners, who remain missing and feared dead.
The accident occurred at the state-owned Nuanerhe coal mine near the city of Chengde in Hebei province, at around 3:00 a.m., China Daily reported.
Local and provincial leaders rushed to the site to attempt a rescue operation, and a group of experts were dispatched to investigate the cause, the State Administration of Mine Safety said.
China's coal mines are notoriously dangerous places to work. According to official figures, more than 6,000 miners died in accidents last year alone.
In the most recent disaster, a blast in a coal mine in southwestern China's Sichuan province last Thursday killed 21 miners.
China's coal mines have been working well over capacity, the official newspaper said, as prices have skyrocketed to meet the country's ever-increasing power demand.
China relies on coal for 70 percent of its energy supplies.
