Photo: Screenshot of video from The Beijing News

Eleven people were killed in a coal mine accident in Shuangyashan, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the accident is under further investigation, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

Heilongjiang Longmei Shuangyashan Mining Co said that an accident took place at Shuangyang coal mine at 2:40 pm on Tuesday, which was caused by a rock burst, based on preliminary judgment. As of 6:20 pm, the rescue work has been finished, according to the company.

The mining company has been repeatedly punished for violating safety regulations, Chongqing-based website cqcb.com reported on Tuesday.

A resident in the Shuangyang mining area said that the mining area includes the mining zone, the mining office building, residential buildings for the miners' families, and the entrance to the mine, said the report. Rescue vehicles have been driving toward the mining office building and the entrance of the mine since the afternoon, and there were still several vehicles passing by after 6 pm. Currently, the mining area has been sealed off, according to the report.

November is the 15th safety awareness education month for the company, as Monday was the safety awareness education day. The company conducted a series of activities to raise workers' safety awareness and ensure safe production.

Global Times