Two mine accidents in central and northeastern China killed at least 56 people and left another 12 missing over the weekend.

Thirty-seven miners died in a gas explosion early yesterday at a private mine near Dengfeng, Henan province, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

A local government official said 108 people were underground when the accident happened at 1:10 am at Xinfeng No 2 Coalmine, and 64 escaped. Another seven were rescued later and received medical treatment in hospital.

The private mine's owner is in police custody, and the case remains under investigation.

Also, on Saturday, 19 miners were killed and 12 were missing after a coalmine fire in Hegang, Heilongjiang province, China National Radio reported.

Forty-three miners were underground when the fire broke out at 3:30 am on Saturday at the privately owned Fuhua Coalmine, and 12 miners managed to escape.

Rescue efforts were hampered by thick smoke and high gas density in the mine shaft.

Nineteen bodies have been found so far, and rescue efforts and investigation into the incident are under way. However, chances are slight those still missing would survive, because of the severity of underground conditions at the site, local rescue headquarters said yesterday.

Rescuers reached the fire in the shaft, where they found the bodies, at 1 am yesterday.

The fire was still spreading, and the shaft roof over the fire was about to collapse, local officials said.

Five people were detained in connection with the Hegang coalmine, which has an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons, including the mine's investor and the manager, vice-mayor of Hegang Wang Rui said.

Their accounts had been frozen, he added. The city has ordered all its coalmines to suspend operation for checkups.

More than 3,700 people were killed in coalmine accidents last year, including explosions, cave-ins and floods, State Administration of Work Safety statistics show. In most cases, safety rule violations and dereliction of duty by government officials in charge of work safety have been found to be the causes of fatal mine accidents, the administration said.

(China Daily September 22, 2008)