23 Killed In China Mine Blast

(RFE/RL) 2 February 2006 -- Chinese media say an explosion at a state-owned coal mine in northern China has killed 23 workers and caused more than 50 other people to be sickened by carbon monoxide.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the blast occurred on 1 February in the Shanxi Province. The report said an investigation into the cause has been opened.

China's coal mines are the most unsafe in the world, with more than 5,000 workers reported killed in 2005 from fires, explosions and floods.

(AP, Reuters)