17 die in Hunan coal mine blast

Seventeen coal miners were killed and one injured in an explosion in a mine near Chenzhou, Hunan province, Reuters reported, citing state media. An explosion of dynamite created toxic gases that killed the workers at the privately owned Shuguang Coal Mine, according to an official at the State Administration of Work Safety. The Hunan government suspended all operations at coal mines in Chenzhou between last August and the end of the year following the death of 15 people at an accident in a graphite mine. More than 2,600 coal miners died in accidents and blasts in 2009.