From correspondents in Asia Pacific, 07:03 PM IST

The toll in a coal mine gas explosion in southwest China's Sichuan province has risen to 12, rescuers said Friday.

The incident occurred at 2.52 a.m. Friday in a mine in Jiuqing town in Xingwen county. The provincial works safety authorities said 44 miners were underground at the time of the blast.

Only 26 miners could flee to safety after the accident and rescuers were searching for the missing.

The mine has an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes.

On Thursday, a mine explosion in Liaoning province killed 27 people and injured six.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)