Five Chinese workers were killed on Tuesday after an explosion in a coal mine in northern Turkey.

The explosion took place in a mine owned by the Turkish Coal Institution in Zonguldak province, about 300 kilometers from Ankara.

The five workers, who were digging a shaft, were hit by the stones and blocks of earth sent flying by a methane gas explosion, said an official of the Chinese embassy in Turkey.

The embassy staff are doing everything possible to cooperate with the company to handle the matter, the official who asked to remain anonymous said, adding that they would try to work with the relevant departments on details of the pensions for family members of the Chinese victims.

Another two other Chinese workers were slightly wounded, and were released from hospital after brief treatment.

After the tragedy, Premier Wen Jiabao immediately told the embassy to carefully deal with the aftermath, and pass his sincere condolences to the victims, said the Foreign Ministry.

State Councillor and former Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan also expressed his concern.

The embassy sent out three officials to the accident site on Tuesday night, to inspect the bodies and visit the other Chinese workers and company staff.

The embassy also contacted the Turkish foreign ministry and the local business partner to inquire about the situation.

The deceased Chinese workers have been identified as Chen Ping, Liu Guangjun, Ji Xianqing, Huang Jianhong and Yang Xinjian.

The victims were among some 80 Chinese workers in the province from the First Construction Corporation working for the State-owned coal giant China Coal.

The construction company is based in Handan, Hebei Province. It has 11,000 employees and assets of 620 million yuan (US$74.7 million).

The construction company has been working on a project in Turkey for about two years. The blast was the first of its kind in this project.

Zonguldak is the center of Turkey's richest coal deposits.

(Xinha News Agency March 18, 2004)