China coal mine collapse leaves 14 workers dead

Fourteen workers who were trapped when a coal mine in southwest China collapsed 10 days ago had died, media reported Sunday.

A rescue operation finished Sunday noon after the bodies of the miners were retrieved, state-owned Xinhua News Agency said.

The workers were trapped after the roof of a shaft at Sanhe Shunxun coal mine in Guizhou province collapsed on Feb. 25.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The rescue operation was challenging because the roof caved in about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the entrance of the mine, and the collapsed area was considerably large, media reported.

Further investigation into the cause of the accident was underway.

China’s coal mines are among the world’s deadliest, regularly suffering explosions and gas leaks despite repeated safety crackdowns.

0:40 Coal mine collapses in northern China, killing at least 21 miners