Flood and blast kill 64 in Chinese coal mines

An underground explosion and flooding from a rain-swollen river have left at least 64 Chinese workers dead and seven others missing in separate disasters, state media reported today.

The blast occurred on Saturday in the Linjiazhuang Coal Mine in Jinzhong, a city in Shanxi province, China’s main coal-producing region, state television said. The official Xinhua News Agency said investigators blamed the blast on airborne coal dust that caught fire.