Eleven die in China mine blast

(China)  --  At least 11 workers have been killed and three are missing after a gas explosion at a coal mine in north China's Shanxi province, a local government spokeswoman says.

The accident took place on Monday at a colliery in Jinzhong city, according to the spokeswoman for the Heshun county government, Li Yuanzhen.

Eleven bodies were recovered and two workers were rescued but three remained in the mine, she told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday.

The state news agency Xinhua reported that rescuers worked through the night to try to improve ventilation in the mine shaft, and were planning to go underground on Tuesday in a bid to rescue the three missing workers.

Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the blast.