Chinese state media say 13 people have been killed in a gold mine fire in the central province of Henan. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday that the miners choked on smoke after a cave-in severed electrical wiring, sparking the blaze.
It said six of the 12 miners working underground at the time of the accident escaped to safety, but seven members of a rescue team were later trapped by the fire and died. The accident Tuesday evening came hours after an explosion at an illegal coal mine elsewhere in Henan killed at least 42 workers, with another 37 men still trapped with little hope of survival.