China coal mine blast death toll jumps to 87
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Rescuers worked in frigid cold to reach 21 miners trapped underground Sunday as the death toll from a huge gas explosion in a northern Chinese mine jumped to 87, the deadliest blast to hit the beleaguered industry in nearly two years.
The pre-dawn blast Saturday at the state-run Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province near the border with Russia was the latest to hit China's mining industry, the world's most dangerous. Authorities say safety is improving, but hundreds still die in major accidents each year. (AP)
