Beijing ? A gas explosion tore through a coal mine in northern China today, killing 23 people and trapping another 90 nearly a third of a mile under ground, central government authorities said.

More than 390 people at the Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province managed to escape after the 2:30 a.m. explosion, the State Administration of Work Safety said in a statement.

China Central Television reported that 23 were dead and the others were trapped about a third of a mile underground. The report said the explosion was caused by a gas buildup.

It shattered windows within 20 yards of the mine shaft.