MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - At least 35 people were killed, with 44 still missing, in an explosion at a mine in central China's Henan province, regional media said on Tuesday.

The blast occurred overnight while 93 miners were underground at Xinhua No 4 pit in the city of Pingdingshan.

Chinese officials say 14 men managed to escape to the surface. The rescue operation is continuing.

A local Communist Party official quoted by the Xinhua news agency said repair work had been taking place at the pit.

Thousands of people die in Chinese mines every year. Independent figures suggest the death toll is even higher than the some 3,200 people who lost their lives in mines in the country last year.