The blast happened Friday night in Shangrao county in Jiangxi province, initially trapping 10 miners in the privately run Yongji Coal Mine, the Shangrao government information office said in an online statement. Two bodies were later found, it said. It gave no details on the cause of the blast.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the mine's owner was being questioned by police.
China's mines are the world's deadliest. There has been a dramatic drop in accidental deaths in recent years, partly as a result of improved safety measures but also because of falling coal production levels as the slowing economy reduces demand.
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