An accident on Saturday reported in a southwestern China coal in which fourteen people are dead. Four other people were injured by “gas outburst” in the mine near the city of Zhaotong in Yunnan Province.

The report did not explain what a “gas outburst” was, but China’s mines are frequently hit by incidents in which miners choke to death on dangerous gases or in gas explosions.

It is the latest tragedy to hit the country’s notoriously deadly coal mining industry. Nearly 3800 lives were lost in Chinese coal mines last year, down 20 per cent from the year before.