<p><br /> An explosion in a Chinese coal mine has killed at least 20 miners in central Henan Province.<br /> </p><p><br /> The accident occurred at 6am local time at a pit owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co Ltd based in Yuzhou City.<br /> </p><p><br /> Rescue operations were under way to help upto 17 miners still trapped underground, according to a local news agency.<br /> </p><p><br /> The accident comes in the wake of Chile's dramatic rescue of 33 miners trapped for more than two months underground.<br /> </p><p><br /> China's mines are the deadliest in the world, due to lax safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a robust economy.<br /> </p><p><br /> More than 2,600 people died in coal mine accidents in the country in 2009 alone.<br /> </p>
