Five workers were killed and another six were trapped after an explosion occurred at a coal mine in Hubei province, China, on Saturday 3 December.

The incident is the third mining disaster to occur in China in less than a week.

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The latest explosion happened in the Xinjia Coal Mine in Badong, where nearly 45 miners were working underground.

When the explosion occurred, 16 miners were working at the coalface. Five of them managed to escape, but six remained trapped, reported Xinhua.

"The incident is the third mining disaster to occur in China in less than a week."

By today, rescuers had retrieved seven bodies and recovery missions are still continuing.

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The mine's legal representative has been arrested by police following the explosion.

Last week, around 55 people were killed after two separate explosions occured at coal mines in China.

In total, 32 people were killed by an explosion at a coal mine in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, while 21 miners were trapped in another mine in Heilongjiang following an explosion on 30 November.

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