Pipeline collapse in coal mines kills 11, leaves 2 missing in northwestern China

BEIJING – Chinese state media and a local official say 11 people have been killed in a coal mine accident in northwestern Shaanxi province.

An official at the provincial work safety bureau, who only gave his last name Han, says that two more people are missing from accident that took place on Wednesday in the city of Yulin. He says odds are slim they would be found alive.

The official Xinhua News Agency says 37 people were in a shaft when a cement pipeline collapsed in the state-owned mine that was under construction.

Xinhua says 24 people were rescued on Wednesday.

China has some of the world's deadliest mines, killing more than 100 people since the start of the year, but they are getting safer with stricter work safety enforcement.