A deadly gas blast at a north China coal mine killed at least 46 people early on Thursday, local safety authorities confirmed. Five others were saved by rescuers.

At least 50 people remained trapped in the village-run pit in Hongtong County of Linfen, a resource-rich city in Shanxi Province.

The exact time of the accident was not immediately known.

Xinhua reporters were en route to the site 400 kilometers from Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

(Xinhua News Agency, December 6, 2007)