Central China coal mine accident kills 5, injures 1; site shut down

BEIJING: A coal mine accident in China's central Hunan province on Wednesday left five dead and injured one, news agency Xinhua reported, underlining poor mining safety conditions in China.

The mine was under maintenance and there was no production when the accident occurred, a representative of Xinglong coal mine in Chenzhou told Reuters, adding that a plank broke during the overhaul, which caused a gas outburst.

The representative further said that the mine, with a capacity of 150,000 tonnes per year, has been shut down and a timeline to restart production remains unknown.

The coal mine was found to have a safety violation by local government in November 2018 and was fined 10,000 yua.