38 miners killed in explosions in China

At least 38 workers have died in two separate coal mine explosions in China this week, officials said on Saturday.

In the latest incident, 17 people were confirmed dead and many others remained trapped after a blast at a coal mine in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Saturday, officials said.

The explosion took place around midday at Baoma Mining Co Ltd in Yuanbaoshan district in the city of Chifeng, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The government has launched a search and rescue operation.

In another tragedy in the country, at least five persons were trapped under debris after a building collapsed in China. The incident happened on the outskirts of the eastern Chinese city of Jinan this afternoon.

Local authorities said four others have been rescued and taken to hospital. The building was part of a privately-run factory under renovation.