At least 28 miners were killed Saturday in an accident in a coal mine in northwest China and ten others were also killed during the weekend in two other accidents in mines, reported Sunday the Xinhua News Agency.

The deadliest disaster occurred Saturday night in the city of Hancheng, in Shaanxi province, killing 28 miners, the agency said, citing local government sources.

The daily Huasheng Daily, the accident took place in the mine Xiaonangou. The boss of the mine owner, Guo Yungang, was arrested by police, Xinhua said.

Sunday morning, five bodies were taken out of the mine and rescue operations to try to trace other victims was continuing.

The agency did not elaborate on the circumstances of the accident. The authorities ordered inspections of all other mines in the region to prevent further accidents. According to local media, a fire broke out in the middle of electrical cables in the shaft, causing the disaster.

Chinese mines are the world’s most dangerous, mainly because of negligence in security and corruption, and a request for increased productivity: Last year, 2,631 people died, according to official figures, in collieries in the country.

According to independent observer groups, the toll could be much higher, many incidents are not reported to avoid costly shutdowns of mines. China depends on coal for about 70% of its electricity needs.

Sunday, two miners were killed in an explosion at a mine in Hunan Province in central China, and thirteen were trapped in a flooded shaft in the Gansu (northwest), reported Xinhua .

On Saturday, eight miners were killed in an explosion in a shaft located in Henan province, close to that of Shaanxi, Xinhua said.

Last June, 47 people died in an explosion in a coal mine in central China. And in March, 153 miners were trapped by flooding in the mine Wangjialing in the province of Shanxi. One hundred and fifteen of them had been left alive by rescue teams

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