BEIJING - An underground gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine killed 13 people and injured nine, a news report said Saturday.
The explosion struck the Niuxinhui Coal Mine in the northern province of Shanxi on Friday afternoon, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local industrial safety officials.
The cause of the blast was under investigation, Xinhua said. It said the mine was undergoing an expansion project at the time.
China has the world's deadliest coal mines, with more than 5,000 fatalities a year in fires, floods and other disasters. Many are blamed on lack of required equipment and indifference to safety rules.
