BEIJING: Eleven miners were found dead on Thursday after a Chinese coal mine caved in, state media reported, the latest fatal industrial accident in the country where work safety standards are poorly enforced.

The miners were trapped after a colliery collapsed on Wednesday morning and their bodies were discovered a day later following rescue efforts that were hampered by high carbon monoxide levels in the shaft and poor visibility, according to cnwest.com news portal.

The cause of the accident in Yulin in northern Shaanxi province is under investigation, according to the news site run by the regional government.

Industrial safety standards are often flouted in China even though deadly accidents regularly make national news.

The incident comes just weeks after a gypsum mine collapse in the eastern province of Shandong trapped 29 miners, 11 of whom escaped or were saved by rescuers in efforts that are still under way, with workers trying to free a handful of survivors.

A landslide in December in the southern commercial hub of Shenzhen, which was caused by the improper storage of waste, killed at least 58 people, with some 25 people still believed to be unaccounted for. China is the world’s largest coal producer and colliery accidents killed 931 people in 2014, according to official data.

The government says fatalities are declining, but some rights groups argue the actual figures are significantly higher due to under reporting.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2016