Coal mine explosion in China: 25 missed

An explosion tore through a coal mine in northern China Monday, leaving 25 workers trapped, the government said, as rescuers rushed to save another 11 in a shaft hundreds of kilometers (miles) south.

Photo: Coal mine explosion in China: 25 missed

Coal mine explosion in China: 25 missed

The 25 were trapped in a blast in Jiudonggourongsheng Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The explosion occurred at 4 a.m. (2000 GMT Sunday) and trapped 33 miners, Xinhua said. Eight were rescued, it said.

In another incident, 11 workers were trapped after an explosion ripped through a mine in Yongxing County in the central province of Hunan, Xinhua said.

Rescuers were not able to enter the mine because of the high density of gas underground, it said.

China's coal mines are the world's deadliest. Every year, thousands of miners are killed in fires, floods and explosions despite ongoing efforts by the government to improve safety conditions, reports the AP.

I.L.