Carbon Monoxide leak leaves 17 trapped in Chinese coal mine

Seventeen workers were trapped in an underground coal mine in southwest China after it was flooded with carbon monoxide. The mine’s conveyor belt caught fire in the early hours of the morning, which led to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide gas leaking into the mine. More than 100 rescuers and medics were at the site just outside the city of Chongqing and the cause of the accident is under investigation. The facility, Songzao Coal Mine, is owned by state energy firm Chongqing Energy. Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced. At least 14 miners were killed in a coal and gas blast last December at a mine in southwestern Guizhou province.