A coal mine gas blast left 15 dead and one missing in Qingxu County in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province on Sunday, according to Shanxi Provincial Coal Mine Safety Department.

The accident occurred at Taiping Coal Mine at about 5:00 AM Sunday.

The coal mine is a legal one, owned by a township with an annual output of 60,000 tons.

The reason is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2005)