14 miners killed in coal mine blast in China

Beijing: At least 14 miners were killed on Tuesday in a coal and gas outburst at a mine in southwest China with two workers still trapped underground, authorities said.

The accident happened at around 1:30 am (local time) at the Guanglong Coal Mine in Anlong County, Guizhou province, when 23 workers were working underground, authorities were quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Seven workers have been rescued safely, while 14 were confirmed dead and two others still remain trapped, the report said.

The rescue work and investigation into the matter is underway, authorities said.

Though the number of deaths has reduced at coal mines in recent years, mining accidents are common in China, the world's largest coal producer.

In November, at least 15 people were killed and nine others injured in a coal mine gas explosion in north China's Shanxi Province.

The incident happened when 35 miners were working underground at the coal mine in Pingyao County when the blast happened.