10 killed in China gas explosion

Beijing: A gas explosion at a coal mine in southwest China on Friday killed 10 people and left eight missing, Xinhua news agency reported.

The blast occurred early in the morning at a mine in Jiuqing, Sichuan province, when 44 miners were working underground, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration said.

Only 26 had emerged from the pit, and rescuers were still searching for the missing, the agency said.

The disaster comes a day after an explosion killed 27 workers at a colliery in northeastern Liaoning province.