SHANGHAI, July 31 – At least 17 people were killed and 24 trapped in two separate mining accidents in China today, the official Xinhua news agency said.

An explosion near the dormitory of a coal mine in Linfen city in northern Shanxi province killed 17 people and injured at least 20, Xinhua cited local authorities as saying.

Explosives were being hidden illegally in the area, according to the initial police investigation, and a suspect had been detained, Xinhua said.

Separately, a coal mine flooded in Jixi city in northeastern Heilongjiang province this evening, trapping 24 miners, Xinhua said, without giving further details.

Thousands of people are killed in China’s mines every year despite government pledges to shut or consolidate many small or unsafe operations. – Reuters