BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - An explosion has killed 20 people at an illegally run coal mine in northern China, state media said on Monday, the latest in grim series of pit disasters.

The blast happened on Sunday evening at a mine in the coal-rich province of Shanxi where workers were trying to mine coal secretly, Xinhua news agency said.

China has the world's deadliest coal mining industry with fatal accidents almost on a daily basis as mine owners push production beyond safety limits as profits soar. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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