Latest Chinese coal mine accident kills 14

BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - A blast at a coal mine in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan has killed 14 miners and injured four, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

The accident occurred on Friday evening in Zhaotong city, the report said.

"Rescuers found all the 14 bodies at the spot. The four injured were in stable condition," Xinhua said, adding the cause of the accident was under investigation.

China, the world's largest producer and consumer of coal, has been battling to improve safety standards in its mines, but accidents are common as owners push production beyond safety limits to meet robust demand to fuel the country's economic boom.

The number of deaths from accidents at Chinese coal mines dropped one-fifth in 2007 from the previous year, although 3,786 people still lost their lives. That was a big improvement over 2005, when the death toll was nearer to 6,000. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by David Fogarty)