Gas explosion kills at least 18

A gas explosion in a central China coal mine has killed 18 people and left three missing.

The blast at the Doulishan coal mine in Hunan province happened on Thursday when 23 workers were in the shaft. Two miners escaped and rescuers are searching for three who are missing.

The cause of the blast is being investigated and all coal mines in Lianyuan county where the accident occurred have been ordered to stop work pending checks of safety measures and equipment.

China introduced new safety rules last year to stem the death toll in its mines. The rules mandate punishments for violations and require safety checks at mines and proper training and equipment for miners, who are usually unemployed farmers.

While the effectiveness of those measures has yet to be seen, newspaper reports say four men will be tried for responsibility in the deaths of 48 men at a coal mine in central Shanxi province last December.

In that case, the mine's operators secretly removed bodies and told investigators that just four miners died, it has been reported.