Chinese Coal Mine Explosion Kills 24

BEIJING (AP) -- A gas explosion in a coal mine in southern China killed 24 miners on Wednesday, the government said.

Fifteen miners escaped alive after the blast at 11:35 a.m. in the Yinjiadi Coal Mine in Liupanshui, a city in the Guizhou region, the State Administration for Supervision of Production Safety said.

Rescue work was ongoing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China's mines are among the world's deadliest, with thousands of deaths reported every year in fires, explosions and floods. Accidents often are blamed on lack of required fire and ventilation equipment or failure to enforce safety rules.