Beijing - At least 215 miners were killed, 22 injured and  an unknown figure is still  trapped in a gas blast at a coal mine in China.

According to press release in Beijing, the gas blast occurred at 1450 hrs yesterday at No 3316 working face of Sunjiawan colliery, which is situated about 242 meters underground. The rescue operations began immediately after an earthquake shook the area.

Inquiry has been ordered. Chinese President Hu Jintao Monday asked local governments to spare no effort to save miners trapped in a coal mine by a gas explosion Monday in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

China, which mainly depends on coal for 70 per cent of its energy needs, has the most risky mines in the world.

According to an official figure, in more than 6,300 mine accidents in 2004 about 7,000 worked are affected of which more than 6,000 workers died.

The Chinese authorities are planning to set up necessary safety measures to check such accidents.