The death toll in a powerful gas explosion that ripped through a coal mine in northeastern China has scaled up to 87, while 21 miners are still trapped.

Till last evening, 42 deaths were confirmed and the number leaped to more than double after 45 more bodies were recovered in overnight rescue operations.

The blast, one of the deadliest in recent times, occurred at Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province at 2.30 am local time yesterday, trapping 118 workers.

A total of 528 miners were working in the mine at the time of the explosion, but 420 people managed to escape to safety, state-run Xinhua news agency said quoting a company staff.

Ventilation and power has been restored in the mine and the director, deputy director and chief engineer were sacked, a staff said requesting anonymity.

Television footages on the state-run CCTV showed smoke billowing out of the mine. The blast was so powerful that it could be felt till 10 kilometres from the site.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang had rushed to the spot to direct the rescue operations, Xinhua reported.

The mine, located close to the border with Russia, is one of the top 500 state-owned enterprises in the provincial capital of Harbin. China, which is heavily dependent on coal for energy needs, has a poor record of mine safety with thousands of people dying every year in mine accidents.

International NGOs have labelled Chinese coal mines as the most dangerous working places in the world, with safety standards often ignored for profits and to meet targets set by the provincial committees.

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