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Secret tunnels and unregistered workers: China's coal mine disaster is a reminder of darker days
Key takeaways
- For decades, life in these pits was intertwined with tragedy.
- "Everyone knew this was a high-methane mine," says Chen, a miner who previously worked at the Liushenyu coal mine for two years.
- The tunnels underground are complicated and criss-crossed.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Koh Ewe Getty Images Coal mining was once a deadly job in China - a recent tragedy reminded the country of that time In Shanxi, the province that sits at the heart of China's coal-mining industry, there's long been a saying: "Only go down a coal pit when you have no other way out."
For decades, life in these pits was intertwined with tragedy.
It became so common that it gave rise to other sayings: about how miners were "exchanging their lives for money" or "staking their lives for tomorrow" when they ventured into underground tunnels where they died from gas explosions, flooding and shaft collapses.
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