A coal mine explosion killed at least 24 miners in north China today, state media said.
Xinhua news agency reported the improper use of explosives was to blame for the early morning gas blast at the village-run Nanshan Colliery in Shanxi province.
"The mine, whose safety licence has expired, had already been ordered to halt production," state television said, adding there were at least 34 miners underground at the time of the explosion.
The blast came just a week after an explosion killed dozens of miners in another part of Shanxi, which produces a quarter of China's coal, and prompted authorities to begin a coal mine safety overhaul in the province.
The death toll from the November 5th explosion in Jiaojiazhai coal mine rose from 23 to 35 today as 12 more bodies were found.
The almost daily series of accidents highlights China's uphill battle to clean up its mining industry while struggling to meet booming demand and high prices for coal, which fuels about 70 per cent of its energy consumption.