3 Chinese miners dead, 9 missing

ZHENGZHOU, China, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The bodies of three miners were pulled Tuesday from a Chinese coal mine hit by a gas explosion and the search continued for nine others trapped in the shaft.

The explosion occurred early Monday in central China's Henan Province, Xinhua reported. There were 24 miners in the mine when the blast occurred. Twelve were able to escape, while the other 12 were trapped, the state news agency said.

A safety official with the Pingdingshan Coal Co. said the three victims recovered were the driver of a coal carrier and two miners working on a mining machine.

"We are working hard to clear the coal debris blocking the tunnel and then rescuers will be able to get closer to the location where the trapped miners may be," the company official said.

Pingdingshan Coal is one of China's Top 10 coal producers with an annual output of more than 30 million tons.