Two separate coal mine disasters in China during the past 24 hours have killed at least 12 people and left two people missing, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
The most recent incidents involving coal mines come after the government amended mining safety rules.
According to CCTV footage from Tuesday, five individuals were killed and two others were reported missing when an underground coal bunker operated by a company in Zhongyang County, Shanxi Province, collapsed just before midnight on Monday.
Taoyuan Xinlong Coal Industry Co. Ltd. owns the bunker, and the site said that extensive efforts to rescue people are underway.
The Shanxi tragedy comes after the mining safety regulator issued a warning to limit overproduction, citing a rise in mortality in China's largest coal mine area in 2023.
In another instance, seven people were killed and two more are missing after a tragic gas explosion at Huaihe Energy's coal mine in China's eastern Anhui province, CCTV reported late Monday evening.
Last year, China saw a series of fatal coal mine accidents, prompting the country's mine safety authority to revise an existing regulation that one official described as having "significant flaws."
Furthermore, lethal coal mine accidents are prevalent in China; just last month, ten people were killed in an accident in Pingdingshan, central China, forcing local officials to conduct safety checks.