28 killed in Chinese coalmine blasts

Seventeen workers were confirmed dead while five remained trapped after an explosion at a coalmine in northern China's Inner Mongolia region at 4:00 am yesterday, the State Administration of Work Safety said.

Another 12 had been rescued after the blast at the Rongsheng colliery in Otog Banner in the southwest of the region, the government body said.

Rongsheng colliery, a collectively owned village and township enterprise, has an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons and does not possess a safety production license, it said.

It was undergoing technical upgrade when the accident occurred, it said.

Another 11 miners were killed after a gas explosion ripped through the Gaoping coal mine in the central province of Hunan on Sunday, the agency said.

China's mines are the world's deadliest with around 6,000 miners dying in accidents last year, according to government statistics. Labour rights groups say the actual figure could be as high as 20,000.

The government has sought to improve safety in recent years, but a sharp rise in demand for energy to fuel booming economic growth has led to higher coal prices and a rush to increase production.

Rampant collusion between local officials and mine owners means breaches of safety regulations are often ignored and miners are usually threatened with dismissal if they refuse to work.

Many government officials even own stakes in the lucrative businesses, while others accept bribes from owners when issuing permits and help mines hide death tolls when accidents occur.