The death toll from a southwest China coal mine explosion rose to 17 Wednesday.

China's official news agency said the blast occurred Tuesday in the Guizhou province.

Twenty-eight workers were in the Anping Coal Mine at the time. Eleven were rescued.

Initial reports said 13 miners had died, but another body was later found in the mine shaft Wednesday morning. Three rescued workers also died at the hospital.

Officials don't yet know what caused the blast.

Although the industry's safety record has improved in recent years, China's coal mines are still the most dangerous in the world.

In 2002, nearly 7,000 miners died in the country.