Coal mine accident kills 3 in northern China's Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region

BEIJING — An accident in a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province left three people dead, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.

Four people were cleaning a bunker used to store coal when the accident occurred on Wednesday. It was unclear what caused the accident. Rescue workers were able to save one person, but the three others died after resuscitation efforts failed, the report said.

The accident occurred at Huajin Coking Coal Company in Shanxi, a major coal-producing region.

China has been working to improve mine safety to combat accidents, which happen with some frequency. A coal mine explosion killed 11 people in Shanxi in August, and a coal mine fire in southern China’s Guizhou province killed 16 people in September.

Last month, a major fire at a coal mining company building in Shanxi killed 26 people and injured dozens of others, but the blaze was not in the mine itself.