BEIJING—A coal mine accident in China’s northeastern Jilin Province that occurred in the late hours on June 9 left nine dead and 10 injured, said a local district government in a statement.
That makes for the third fatal mining accident in China in less than a month, indicating poor safety conditions in the country’s mines despite frequent inspections
The accident occurred following a minor earthquake measured at 2.3 magnitude, according to the statement.
The coal mine is operated by Longjiapu Mining Co, a subsidiary of state-backed Liaoyuan Mining Group, and has an annual capacity of 3.3 million tons.
Production at Longjiapu has been halted after the accident, and as yet there is no timeline for a restart, a representative of the coal mine told Reuters.
Thermal coal prices on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange rose 0.9 percent to 587 yuan ($84.67) a ton on June 10.
Scores of Chinese miners die each year, largely in gas explosions, underground floods and collapses due to structural defects.
The quakes have caused at least four deaths and many injuries in the county, according to locals. Residents blame the extraction of shale gas in the area for triggering the disasters.