BEIJING - Ninety-six workers were trapped in a coal mine in north China's Shanxi province after a powerful gas blast early Sunday, state media reported.

The accident occurred at about 2:00 a.m. (1800 GMT Saturday) at a mine in Gujiao city near the provincial capital of Taiyuan, when a total of 436 miners were at work underground, Xinhua news agency said.

The mine, which has an annual capacity of five million tonnes, is operated by the Shanxi Jiaomei Group, according to the agency.

More than 3,000 people died in Chinese coal mines in 2008, according to earlier reports in the state media. However, independent monitors say the real figure is much higher as many accidents are covered up.