Miners carry their supplies for upcoming winter, towards a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group, on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner smokes after his work as he leaves a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A driver gets off a loading vehicle at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A villager selects coal at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A villager moves coal at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A close up of an abandoned excavator is seen in coal waste at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A worker opens a door of carriage as it is cleaned to load coal outside a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A view shows a dormitory building for miners at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A rag-and-bone woman stands next to carriages of a coal train outside a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Coal gangue, also known as coal waste, is piled up next to a corn field at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A local villager wearing a mask walks past a coal train outside a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A railway track for carrying coal gangue, also known as coal waste, leads onto the top of the gangue hill from the exit of a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A view shows an office building at a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Self-rescue equipment and head lamps are placed in a room near the entrance of a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A worker speaks as he loads coal on a truck at a depot near a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner comes out of a mine on a transmission band at a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner gets his self-rescue equipment as he prepares to work in a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Miners walk at a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner walks out of a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A worker pushes a transporter at Zhengyang coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A worker cleans the carriage of a coal train outside a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner is pictured before he takes his self-rescue equipment off after a day's work at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner walks toward the entrance of a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A general view through a closed gate at Ronghua coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Bad quality coal is picked out at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A transporter is seen outside a closed exit of Zhengyang coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Wheels of cable rope are abandoned outside Zhangchen coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A general view shows Pinggang coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner walks at a coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Local villagers walk along railways, which are used to transfer coal, at Zhengyang coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





An elderly villager walks along a railway, which is used to transfer coal, in front of a coal gangue hill outside Shuanghe coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A miner works at a repair depot for mining equipment at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





An abandoned excavator is partially covered by coal waste at a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





Former miner Xin Qinling walks outside a closed exit of Zhengyang coal mine from the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 24, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)





A villager is pictured as she selects coal at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)