An explosion at a coal mine in southwest China has killed nine workers and left one missing, less than a week after a mine blast at the other end of the country killed at least 107, AP reported. A total of 172 miners were working in Guizhou"s Zhenxing mine at the time of Thursday night"s explosion, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. All but 10 escaped, three of them with injuries from flying debris, Xinhua said in a brief report Friday. The accident"s cause was not given, although such explosions usually result from a failure to ventilate coal gas that builds up deep in the pit. Xinhua said the Zhenxing mine had an annual output of 600,000 tons, making it a relatively large-scale operation. Investigators looking into Saturday morning"s blast outside the northeastern city of Hegang _ the country"s deadliest in two years _ have blamed crowded conditions, insufficient ventilation and slow rescue efforts for the high death toll. China"s coal industry remains the world"s deadliest, despite repeated efforts to close the most dangerous mines and boost safety at large-scale operations. Mining accidents claimed 1,175 lives in the first six months of this year, an 18.4 percent drop over the same period last year.
