An explosion in a Chinese coal mine has killed at least 20 miners in central Henan Province.
The accident occurred at 6am local time at a pit owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co Ltd based in Yuzhou City.
Rescue operations were under way to help upto 17 miners still trapped underground, according to a local news agency.
The accident comes in the wake of Chile's dramatic rescue of 33 miners trapped for more than two months underground.
China's mines are the deadliest in the world, due to lax safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a robust economy.
More than 2,600 people died in coal mine accidents in the country in 2009 alone.
