BEIJING, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A gas explosion at a coal mine in southwest China on Friday killed 10 people and left eight missing, state media reported.

The blast occurred early in the morning at a mine in Jiuqing, Sichuan province, when 44 miners were working underground, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration said.

Only 26 had emerged from the pit, and rescuers were still searching for the missing, the agency said.

The disaster comes a day after an explosion killed 27 workers at a colliery in northeastern Liaoning province.

China's mining industry remains the world's deadliest, despite a government drive to close thousands of small and unsafe mines.

A total of 3,786 Chinese coal miners died in gas blasts, flooding and other accidents last year, down 20 percent from 2006. (Reporting by Yu Le; Editing by Ken Wills)

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