Rescue teams in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong are working to free 36 miners who have been trapped underground since Wednesday evening. Officials say the miners became trapped after an air compressor 738 feet underground caught fire around 6:45 p.m. The coal mine belongs to Zaozhuang Fangbei Coal Mine Co. Ltd.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts continue at mines in southern China after heavy rain caused one mine in Guizhou province to flood and another mine in the Guangxi Autonomous Region to collapse. Officials say 23 workers are trapped in Guizhou province and 19 miners are tapped in Guangxi.
Although the Chinese government has improved mining safety in recent years, the country’s mines are widely considered to be the deadliest in the world. Last year alone 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents.
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