Rescuers have freed the first of 22 people trapped some 2,000 feet underground at a gold mine in Shandong province, northern China, state media said Sunday.
Why it matters: The miners have been trapped since an explosion shut a tunnel entrance at the Hushan mine Jan. 10. One miner died, state media said. The cause of the blast has not been reported. China’s safety record has improved but is still poor, per the New York Times, which notes coal mines in Chongqing, in the southwest, saw at least 16 die in one accident in September and another 23 in December.

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