An explosion at a coal mine in central China has killed 20 miners and trapped another 17 underground.
State media said the pit in Yuzhou, Henan province, was hit by a “sudden coal and gas outburst”.
China’s mining industry is the most dangerous in the world, with more than 2,600 workers killed in accidents last year alone.
More than 1,000 small, illegal coal mines were shut down this year as part of efforts to improve safety standards.
The blast happened in the early morning at the Yuzhou pit, which is owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co Ltd, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The national work safety agency said 239 miners had managed to reach the surface but that 20 had been found dead and a further 17 were still missing.
It was not clear how far underground the trapped men were, an official surnamed Li told the Associated Press news agency.
China is heavily reliant on its mining industry, with coal supplying some 70% of its energy needs.
The central government has made improving conditions in the country’s 25,000 coal mines a priority, and the number of deaths has fallen from nearly 7,000 in 2002 to 2,631 last year.
But rules have often been ignored in favour of profit, as the economy has boomed.
Earlier this month, new regulations came into force requiring the managers of coal mines to accompany workers underground, as an incentive to improve the conditions.
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