A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China killed 38 people and injured 16, the Beijing Evening Newsreported today.
The blast ripped apart the Chenjiashan mine near Tongchuan city in the northern province of Shaanxi, the newspaper said.
The blast is the latest in a string of fatal accidents at China's poorly regulated coal mines, which killed more than 5,300 people last year.
China, the world's biggest producer of coal, has repeatedly demanded that mine operators improve management and safety standards. It shut 18,000 pits last year.