A coal mine accident that claimed 26 lives and left 50 injured Wednesday was caused by gas combustion instead of coal dust ignition as previously presumed, China’s work safety watchdog said Thursday.
The gas volume in the coal mine exceeded the safety limit before the accident happened and no timely evacuation had been made, Xinhua quoted the State Administration of Work Safety and State Administration of Coal Mine Safety as saying.
The detailed cause of the accident is still under investigation, the authorities said.
China witnessed 26 major production accidents in the first half of this year, of which 15 cases involved gas.
(IANS)