16 killed in mine blast

At least 16 coal miners have died and 77 workers are missing in an explosion in a mine that reopened illegally after being closed for safety reasons.

Another 77 miners were missing after the explosion at the mine in Xuzhou, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu, China Central Television said today.

Authorities closed the mine on June 15 because it lacked ‘‘all necessary ... safety facilities’’ but reopened this month, said a local official.

Police have detained the mine owner, the official said.

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest, suffering thousands of fatalities a year. Twenty-one miners were killed this month when a mine flooded in the northeastern province of Jilin.