China mine blast kills 20, others trapped: report

Rescuers get ready for the rescue operations, outside a coal mine in Yuzhou, Henan province October 16, 2010 in this photo distributed by China"s official Xinhua News Agency. At least 20 miners were killed in a gas burst in a colliery in central China"s Henan Province Saturday, the rescue headquarters said, Xinhua News Agency reported.

SHANGHAI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - An explosion in a Chinese coal mine killed at least 20 miners in central Henan Province on Saturday, state media reported.

The accident occurred at 6 a.m. (6 p.m. EDT on Friday) in a pit owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co Ltd based in Yuzhou City and rescue operations were under way, the Xinhua news agency said.

The agency said earlier that more than 30 miners were trapped underground.

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 2009 alone.

(Reporting by Jacqueline Wong; Editing by Alex Richardson)