A gas explosion and a collapse have trapped 19 people underground in two Chinese coal mines, the official Xinhua agency has reported.
Seven people were caught at the Jianxin mine near Fengcheng city in eastern Jiangsu province after a gas explosion in the nearly 50-year old mine yesterday afternoon.
Another 12 were caught by a collapse when they were changing shifts late on Wednesday at a mine in impoverished southwestern Guizhou province, Xinhua added.
Accidents occur almost daily in China's coal mining industry, the chances of trapped miners surviving are usually low.
Last year nearly 6,000 miners died in 3,300 blasts, floods, collapses and other accidents as mine owners pushed production beyond safety limits in a rush to profit from booming demand.
