At least 11 people have been killed and three others are missing after an explosion at a coal mine in northern China, in the latest in a series of deadly mining accidents in the country.

Rescuers found two survivors and recovered 11 bodies after the explosion ripped through a mine shaft in Jinzhong city in Shanxi province on Monday morning.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency said 16 miners were working underground at the time in the Xingguang Coal Industry Co mine in Heshun county when the incident happened.

The explosion happened following a suspected gas leak.

Rescuers are still searching for the missing miners, Xinhua added.

China's mines are the deadliest in the world, with unregulated mines accounting for almost 80 per cent of the country's 16,000 mines.

An average of 13 workers are killed every day in the country, with most accidents are blamed on failures to follow safety rules, including a lack of required ventilation or fire control equipment.

Despite pledges by the Chinese government to improve safety, regulations are poorly enforced while the country's insatiable demand for energy and resources often means many unsafe mines continue to operate.

There were about 3,000 fatalities in mines across China in 2008.