On Friday afternoon, in a coal mine in the city of Pingdingshan, in the Henan Province of central China, tragedy struck, leaving 10 people reported dead and 6 missing.
Local authorities stated early on Saturday, January 13, 2023, that preliminary investigations revealed the cause to be a coal and gas outburst. According to authorities, Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining Co. Ltd. owns the coal mine where the disaster occurred.
When the accident occurred, 425 individuals were working underground; 380 of them have since been extracted from the mine.
As of Saturday morning, out of the 45 individuals still within the mine, the death toll has risen to 10, and 6 remain missing, according to the city’s emergency management department.
Search and rescue operations are underway for the missing persons. Authorities responsible for public security have detained the people in control of the coal mine.