Mine explosion kills 15 in southern China
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-24 20:47

A blast at a coal mine in southern China killed 15 people, Xinhua News Agency said Monday.

The explosion occurred Sunday at the Zhongxing Colliery in Guizhou province's Qinglong County, Xinhua said.

Eight of the 41 miners working underground at the time of the explosion were killed instantly, Xinhua said. Seven others were trapped inside the shaft and were assumed dead after 20 hours of rescue operations, it said.

Three miners were injured, it said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

China's mines are said to be the most dangerous in the world, with more than 6,000 miners killed last year in fires, explosions, floods, cave-ins and other disasters.

The government says it has shut down hundreds of unsafe mines and punished mine owners who put profits ahead of lives.