AFP, BEIJING: At least 38 people were killed in two separate Chinese coal mine blasts this week, according to death tolls reported by state media Saturday.
One blast occurred late Tuesday at a private mine in Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang province, trapping 22 workers, Xinhua news agency said.
Twenty-one were confirmed dead Friday night, it said, citing provincial authorities.
Rescue efforts were hampered by debris from the blast in some of the tunnels, according to an earlier report.
In a separate incident, a mine in Inner Mongolia was struck by an explosion that left at least 17 dead, according to figures from local authorities. An unspecified number of miners were still buried under the ground and rescue efforts were underway, Xinhua said.horities. An unspecified number of miners were still buried under the ground and rescue efforts were underway, Xinhua said.