The gas explosion happened on the afternoon of October 29 at the Xialiuchong colliery in Hunan province's Hengyang, the report said.

One miner remains trapped, it added, without providing further details.

China's mines are the deadliest in the world, due to lax safety standards and a rush to feed demand from a robust economy.

In 2010, 2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in China, although this was an improvement on the toll of 2,631 a year earlier.

Reuters-Xinhua