Explosion in Chinese coal mine kills 15

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- At least 15 people were killed and nine others injured after a gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine, according to local authorities and state media.

China's state-owned Xinhua news agency and People's Daily reported Tuesday the explosion took place on Monday, around 1:50 p.m.

The blast took place at a mine owned by the Feng Yan Group in Pingyao County, Shanxi Province in north China, according to reports.

A total of 35 workers were in the underground tunnels at the time of the accident. Of those workers, 11 people were safely evacuated, while the remaining workers were either killed or injured.

Injured workers are reportedly in "stable condition." Authorities are investigating the cause and circumstance of the explosion, according to state media.

Some of the workers were able to make it out safely because officials in Pingyao mobilized quickly to the site of the accident, reports say.

Old safety equipment, lack of safety measures, such as not properly ventilating mines of methane, or coal gas, can contribute to disasters for miners working underground.

In 2016, at least 38 people died in two separate mine explosions, killing a total of 38 people, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.

Monday's explosion comes less than a week after China's State Council ordered further enhancements to safety in the industrial sector.