China coal mine blast kills 10: Official

BEIJING: Ten people were killed by an explosion in a coal mine in southwest China, a local official said Monday, in the latest in a series of fatal accidents to plague the industry.

The blast occurred on Sunday evening in Guizhou province, a local official who refused to be named told AFP.

"There was a blast on Sunday evening. Ten people died and one was injured," he said.

China's coal mines -- which have a notoriously poor safety record -- have been hit by a series of accidents in recent months. Last month, a coal mine flood in the same province killed 23 workers.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in China, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011