China coal-mining village blast kills 47

BEIJING, July 7 (Reuters) Explosives stored in a Chinese farmer's home blew up in the early hours today, killing 47 people and wounding dozens, Xinhua news agency said.

The accident happened in Dongzhai village, in the northern coal-mining province of Shanxi, after the building had caught fire, Xinhua said.

A large crowd had gathered, some trying to put out the blaze, others just watching.

''The villager's home was blasted into rubble,'' it said, quoting a local official.

Deadly blasts caused by privately stored explosives are not rare in Shanxi, where about a quarter of China's coal is produced.

In April, at least 33 people were killed and buildings flattened in the city of Yuanping when explosives stored by a former coal-mine owner blew up.

Ten villagers were killed in a gold-mining town in Shanxi in a blast at a family dynamite workshop in June.

REUTERS SI HT1712