Forty-one miners were working in the Zhongxing Coal Mine in Qinglong county, Zhongying town when the blast happened Sunday, the Xinhua news agency said.

Only 23 got out safely.

Eight miners were found dead soon after the accident, while seven other bodies were discovered after a more than 20-hour search, according to Xinhua.

The mine is owned by the township government and had a capacity to produce 30,000 tons of coal a year. In February this year, it embarked on technological upgrades to enable it to produce 60,000 tons of coal annually, Xinhua said.

The agency was citing information from Guizhou province's office of the State Administration of Work Safety.

China's mines are considered the most dangerous in the world. The country's reliance on coal for two-thirds of its energy needs has hiked production to fuel the country's rapid industrialization.

Critics say safety and lives are being sacrificed for profit.

Official figures show around 6,000 miners die every year in China through accidents often linked to poor or non-existent safety measures.

Independent estimates say the real figure could be far higher as mines often falsify death counts or do not report accidents to escape closures and fines.

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