Eighteen miners are confirmed dead after a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northeast China, the State Administration of Work Safety said Tuesday.

The accident happened Monday at Baijiagou Coal Mine in Faku county, Liaoning province, the safety agency said in a brief statement.

It said 81 miners were in the mine at the time of the blast, with 56 escaping unhurt and seven still missing.

China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet demand for coal -- source of about 70 percent of the country's energy.

Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures, although independent monitors say the real figure was likely far higher as many accidents are covered up.