BEIJING (AP) -- Gas exploded inside a coal mine in northeastern China, killing at least 16 people and leaving 10 others missing, a mine official said Monday.
The blast at the state-owned Mengjiagou coal mine in Fushun, an industrial city in Liaoning province, happened Sunday evening and rescue efforts were still underway the next day, according to He Wanku, an employee of the mine's office.
He said 19 people were rescued. He said he didn't know what ignited the gas.
Fushun is about 400 miles east of Beijing.
China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with more than 5,000 deaths reported last year in fires, explosions and flooding. Many of the accidents have been blamed on a lack of fire and ventilation equipment.
Officials of China's national government have promised to tighten safety standards, but accidents remain frequent and deadly.
