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A gas explosion in a coal mine in Northeast China killed 107 workers on Nov. 21, according to official media, a recent example of the dangers the under regulated and often unscrupulous industry poses for Chinese laborers.

The accident happened in the early hours of the morning at the Xinxing Coal Mine in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province; 528 workers were underground at the time. Xinhua, the official media of the Chinese Communist Party, says the explosion occurred due to negligence.

Eighty percent of all coal mining accidents in the world happen in China, though it produces only 35 percent of the world’s coal. China’s State Administration of Work Safety reported 3,215 coal mine-related deaths in China in 2008, compared to 30 in the United States.

The CCP goes to some lengths to cover up such accidents, though with the proliferation of the Internet, information inevitably makes its way out.

Despite the known risks, many untrained miners and peasants in China are still willing to work underground in the dark coal mines across the country to make extra money.

Two miners, Zhu Xiulu and Li Liangcang, often work 12 hour days in a coal mine a few kilometers from the Xinxing Coal Mine. They had initially worked for a small, illegal mine. After its closure, they joined a bigger, privately owned mine with 300 miners.

Both men are peasants from the Shandong Province and work as miners to make extra money. A miner in a remote area can make more money than a construction worker in Beijing.

Zhu Xiulu is 56 years old, and his son is also a miner. Four years ago, his wife died of cancer, leaving the family with a large amount of unpaid medical bills. To be able to pay the debt, they had to leave home.

“We cannot find jobs at home and have to work as miners over here. We can earn about 3,000 yuan (US$439) per month and save about 2,000 yuan (US $293), excluding the cost of living,” Mr. Zhu said to Sound of Hope Radio.

Mr. Li said: “Everyone knows that it is dangerous to work underground in a coal mine, but we have no choice. As a 38-year-old man, it’s too late for me to learn new things. I have to work hard now to support my whole family. It is not a matter of making a choice at all. I’m driven to do this for my family.”

To support his family, Li Liangcang works seven days a week. Zhu Xiulu works only four days a week due to his old age.

Mining is the main source of income for most of the families in Hegang City. The whole region is covered with mine dust, and middle-aged women collect coal dropped from the trucks on the sides of the roads.

A woman named Li from the area said: “I cannot afford coal for heating. We are laid off workers and do not have any labor insurance, but we have to pay rent each month. So, I have to collect coal from the road.”

Read the original Chinese article.