4 killed in coal mine blast in China

Four people were killed in a coal mine blast in China's southwestern Guizhou Province, local officials said.

The accident took place yesterday at the Zheyan Coal Mine in Gaoshi Township in the city of Fuquan when 49 people were working underground.

Forty-five people managed to escape while four others were trapped in the shaft, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Rescue work continued until the bodies of the four trapped were recovered early this morning.