A coal mine, operated by Jinshangou Coal Industry Co. in the municipality of Chongqing, exploded recently, according to the municipal coal-mine safety inspection bureau in an online statement.
Fifteen miners were killed and 18 are still missing. Only two of the 35 miners were able to get out after the explosion.
The inspection bureau said that rescue work is still ongoing and operations of the coal mine will be suspended until after new safety inspections are concluded.
China's State Administration of Work Safety, a national office, sent a team to the scene to conduct a separate investigation, according to a statement. The administration has not yet released any findings on the cause of the explosion.
According to speculations of the head of China's State Administration of Work Safety, "The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but electrical sparks or flames can ignite leaking gas and cause explosions. Ventilation systems are meant to prevent such accidents, but many of the country's mines are outdated. Struggling coal mines might overlook maintenance."
The explosion coincided with a national conference of work safety inspectors in Beijing. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang said that greater efforts to improve supervision and enforcement of industrial safety standards.
According to an Oct. 14 notice published by the Chongqing coal-mine safety inspection bureau, local inspectors recently penalized a coal mine in Yongchuan district for being a safety hazard and ordered a halt to operations.
The coal mine is the same site where the explosion occurred. The mine was also found to have faulty sensors and weak communication systems.
The government already shut down about 1,000 mines which are outdated. Approval for new coal plants has been suspended in the efforts to minimize coal production.
The government has also released a big chunk of its budget for alternative sources of energy to lessen its consumption of coal.