Chinese mine fire claims 18 lives

The death toll in a coal mine fire in central China rose to 18 today after the bodies of the last missing miners were found by rescuers.

The fire broke out last night in the Xinli Coal Mine in Hunan province. A survivor said a faulty air compressor ignited the blaze.

Rescue teams were also looking for 36 miners missing since Sunday after their mine flooded in the southern province of Guizhou.

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest, accounting for 80% of all coal mining-related deaths worldwide last year, according to the government.

More than 4,500 Chinese miners have died this year in fires, floods and other disasters.

Last month, an explosion in a coal mine in central China killed 166 men – the nation’s deadliest mining accident in years.