Toll in China coalmine blast rises to 44

The toll in a coalmine gas explosion in China's Henan province has risen to 44 with 35 miners still trapped underground, authorities said.

The toll in a coalmine gas explosion in China's Henan province has risen to 44 with 35 miners still trapped underground, authorities said on Thursday.

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The blast had taken place at about 1 am on Tuesday.

Rescue work is continuing, says the Henan Provincial Bureau of Work Safety.

A total of 93 people were working in the coalmine when the accident occurred. Fourteen miners managed to escape.

Three of the injured are in an intensive care unit (ICU), including two in critical condition.

Qi Tongyan, deputy head of Xinhua district of Pingdingshan city, and Zhang Xizhi, a coal industry administration official, were dismissed from their posts on Tuesday afternoon.