State media says death toll in coal mine blast in southwest China rises to 21

China says death toll in mine blast rises to 21

BEIJING — State media says the death toll in a coal mine blast in southwest China’s Guizhou province has risen to 21.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Friday that 31 workers were in the mine when the blast happened Thursday night, and that 10 managed to escape. It did not immediately give any other details.

Although safety conditions have improved in the last several years, China’s mining industry is by far the world’s deadliest, with accidents and blasts killing more than 2,600 coal miners last year.