BEIJING (AP) A gas explosion at a coal mine in western China has killed 21 workers, an official said Saturday.
The miners were earlier reported trapped by the blast in Xinjiang region's Changji prefecture early Friday. Twelve others escaped the explosion.
An official at the Xinjiang region's work safety bureau said that 21 miners were confirmed dead and another one who had been trapped was injured. The official, surnamed Wang, refused to give further details and said the incident was under investigation.
China's mines are the deadliest in the world and suffer frequent explosions, floods and cave-ins.
Such accidents are usually caused by a failure to ventilate methane gas from the shaft.
