A coal mine explosion in the autonomous region of the Inner Mongolia region in northern China has left 32 workers dead on Sunday, Chinese state media Xinhua reported, in a yet another grim reminder of the country's poor record in industrial safety.

Initial media reports on Saturday have put the death toll number to 17, but the figure is expected to rise as hordes of workers are still trapped inside the coal mine.

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Xinhua claimed that out of the 181 laborers initially trapped in the underground coal mine, at least 149 have so far been rescued.

The state media agency further claimed that the blast happened in the afternoon at a mine operated by Baoma Mining Co. Ltd and was caused by a huge gas explosion.

In another major coal mine accident, 21 miners in northeast China's Heilongjiang province have reportedly been found dead, after they were all trapped in the underground coal mine for four days. Four people have been so far arrested in connection with blast.

The coal mine accidents have come closely on the heels of major power plant accident in Fengcheng city in Northern China, which killed nearly 74 people. Following the accident, President Xi had urged authorities to take necessary precautions to avoid further industrial accidents across the country.     

Industrial accidents are quite common in China, with poor safety facilities at workplaces often blamed for these disastrous accidents. Experts say that there is still a lot more work to do to improve workplace safety across industrial place despite stupendous economic progress made over the two decades.  

TagsCoal Mine Explosion In China, china, Industrial Accidents in China, Industrial Safety in China