13 dead, 2 missing in Jiangxi colliery blast

NANCHANG -- Thirteen miners have been confirmed dead, and two are still missing after an explosion hit a coal mine in east China's Jiangxi Province on Sunday, rescuers said.

Officials from the rescue headquarters said 38 miners were working in the Gaokeng Coal Mine of Pingxiang Mining Bureau in Pingxiang City when the accident occurred at about 12:55 pm.

They said among the 23 miners who had escaped on their own or had been pulled out to safety, two were injured and had been admitted to hospital.

Rescuers are rushing to reach the two missing miners, but their efforts were hampered by high temperature, low visibility and high concentration of flammable gas in some parts of the tunnel.

The Pingxiang Mining Bureau is affiliated to the state-owned Jiangxi Coal Group Corporation. The investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.