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BEIJING, Aug 19, 2008 (AFP) - At least 21 miners were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northeast China, state media said Wednesday.
The miners were caught in the blast in the Baijiagou Coal Mine in Faku County, Liaoning Province, Monday morning, the Xinhua news agency said, quoting a provincial coal mine safety bureau official.
Fourteen miners were rescued from the pit late on Monday and taken to hospital, where two of them died, the report said.
The search for four miners still trapped is continuing, but rescue workers warned their survival hopes were slim, Xinhua said.
China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet demand for coal -- the source of about 70 percent of the country's energy.
Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures, although independent monitors say the real figure was likely far higher as many accidents are covered up.
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