Coal mine accident kills four in Vietnam

Four miners died Wednesday after inhaling toxic fumes from a fire in a coal shaft in northern Vietnam, state media said.

“There was a blast, initially because of a methanol fire,” in one of the mine shafts operated by Thong Nhat Coal company in Quang Ninh province, police newspaper Cong An Nhan Dan said.

Four workers suffocated due to the deadly gas released after the incident early Wednesday, with seven others also injured, according to the report.

The bodies have been recovered, the newspaper said, with local authorities pledging financial support to the victims’ families.

The injured are being treated at a nearby hospital, media reports said, without giving further details.

The Cong An Nhan Dan report added that the fire had been brought under control.

Deadly mining accidents are not infrequent in Vietnam, which despite ramping up its green credentials still relies heavily on coal-fired power plants.

Accidents claimed at least 10 workers’ lives at Vietnam’s state-run coal and mining group last year, local reports said.