Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A cache of explosives blew up yesterday in Kecheng, a town in Shanxi province, northern China, killing at least 20 children.

Tha cache was hidden at the home of a coal mine manager, Lu Maolin, dead himself in the explosion. Lu's wife was injured too.

Local newspaper reports that  school students who were in class were buried. The school is nearby manager's home. Local medias report that an unspecified number of injured children from the Beixin Village Elementary School were hospitalised.

A man who answered the phone at the county government office said he had no additional information.

Shanxi province is one of China's biggest coal-mining regions. China's coal mining industry is the world's deadliest, with thousands of deaths reported every year despite a marathon government safety crackdown. The country also suffers hundreds of deaths a year from the mishandling of explosives used for mining, construction and fireworks manufacturing.

After the Laoning and Fuxin's mine disaster, about 350 dead miners, State council says it will allocate more resources and roll out more specific measures to prevent mining disasters, but it was also demanding that local governments pay their share towards strengthening safety.

• china
• coal
• mines
• explosion
• death
• injiures
• children