17 killed in Afghanistan coal mine explosion

At least 17 people were killed and several trapped following a blast in a coal mine in the northern Afghan province of Samangan Wednesday, a provincial government spokesman said.

"A powerful blast occurred in a coal mine in Dahan-e-Tor area at around 11.30 a.m., 17 bodies were retrieved. Rescue operation is under way as at least 13 people were trapped under the debris there," Latfullah Azizi, a provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua.

The number of casualties may go up, he added.