Beijing: A gas explosion in central China has killed seven coal miners and left four more missing in the latest deadly accident to strike China's mining industry.
A statement from the local propaganda department said rescuers were still trying to reach people trapped underground after the Monday night blast in Hubei province.
Rescue workers are pumping air into the mine shaft to aid the rescue effort.
It was the third major mining accident in one week, causing a total of 60 deaths.
China is the world's top producer and consumer of coal. Deadly workplace events occur frequently despite a stated public commitment to improving worker safety. The recent series of accidents appears to be a setback of sort for such efforts, prompting new reminders from the government industrial safety watchdog.
