46 killed in China coal mine blast: TV report

BEIJING: All 46 miners who were missing after an explosion in a central China coal mine on Monday have been confirmed dead, state television reported.

The blast occurred near Pingdingshan city in Henan province of Henan, state media reports had said, when a store of gunpowder kept underground at the Xingdong No. 2 Mine detonated at about 1:40 a.m. (1740 GMT).

Seventy-two miners had been working at the time, 26 of them were brought to safety, with the rest perishing, China Central Television said.