Four people were killed and 21 injured in a furnace blast at a chemical plant on Wednesday afternoon in east China's Jiangxi Province.

A fire broke out at the nitration workshop section of the Jiujiang Fuda Industrial Co. Ltd. in Hukou County at 3:52 PM.

The furnace exploded about 10 minutes later, killing two people on the spot and injuring 23, two of whom died later in hospital.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

Meanwhile, more than 50 miners were trapped in a coal mine in the northern province of Hebei after a gas blast early on Thursday morning, provincial coal mine supervision authorities said.

The accident took place at around 3:00 AM on Thursday in the Nuan'erhe Colliery in Chengde City.

The condition of the trapped miners remains unknown.

Governor Ji Yunshi and other government officials have rushed to the site to direct rescue efforts and investigate the cause of the blast.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2005)