A powerful gas explosion tore through an underground coal mine in northeastern China killing 31 miners and trapping 82, state-run China Central Television (CCTV) said.

In one of the deadliest incidents in a mine, the blast occurred at Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province at 2.30 am, trapping 118 workers. The CCTV said a total of 528 miners were working in the mine at the time of the explosion, but 390 people managed to escape to safety.