Coal Mine Accident In Chongqing In Southwestern China Kills 22 People, Injures 2

At least 22 people were killed and two were injured in a coal mine accident Tuesday in the southwestern city of Chongqing

Authorities did not have many details about the accident in Yanshitai coal mine, which is run by a subsidiary of the state-owned Chongqing Energy, but referred to the mishap as a “gas accident,” according to Associated Press. At least 28 people were working in the mine when the accident happened and six escaped, Xinhua reported, citing the Chongqing Municipal Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

The latest accident follows a similar accident last month in northwestern China, in Dahaize coal mine, where at least 11 people were killed when a cement pipeline in the mine collapsed. At the time of the mishap, 37 people were inside the mine, authorities had reported.

In January, two people died in northern Shaanxi region in another coal mine accident, Reuters reported. And, since the beginning of 2014, more than 100 people have been killed in mine accidents in China, despite the government's efforts to establish stronger safety measures for the country's mining industry.