Dozens dead in coal mine fire

At least 16 people have died in a fire that broke out in a coal mine in southern China on Sunday, local officials said.

The management of the city of Panzhou announces that the fire has been extinguished and that after an initial investigation it is clear that 16 people are dead.

According to the statement, it is “preliminarily established that it was the conveyor belt that caught fire”.

Although safety in China’s mining sector has improved in recent decades, accidents are still common.

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