Dynamite explosion kills 11 in northwest China

Beijing, June 27 : An explosion of illegally stored dynamite in northwest China killed 11 people, injured 20 and flattened buildings and the death toll is expected to rise, state media today said.

The storage of explosives in houses is common in Shaanxi province, the heart of the world's deadliest coal-mining industry.

''Most of the victims are migrant workers,'' Xinhua news agency said, citing a local official.

Yesterday's explosion ''flattened 23 rooms'', Xinhua said without elaborating.

Ten villagers were killed in a gold mining town in neighbouring Shanxi province after a blast in a family dynamite workshop earlier in June.

Also in Shanxi, at least 33 people were killed and buildings flattened in April when explosives stored by a former coal mine owner exploded.

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