'Two dead' in Ecuador mine blast

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At least two miners are reported dead and at least 15 injured in a blast in a gold mine in southern Ecuador.

The explosion occurred at about 1800 local time (2300 GMT) in the village of Ponce Enriquez in Azuay province.

Reports from the scene are confused, with some sources suggesting miners were trapped underground by the blast, but others insisting none are trapped.

A firefighter told AP news agency the blast was so powerful it could be felt in Machala, a 15-minute drive away.

He said emergency services were at the scene, but they were being hampered by the dark.

Authorities say they do not yet know what caused the explosion, said to have happened in a warehouse holding explosives outside the mine.

'No miners trapped'

A local firefighter chief, Rodrigo Durazno, told AFP news agency: "We have recovered from the rubble seven bodies, and sent 40 injured people to area hospitals. There are also some 30 people reported missing."

Interior Minister Gustavo Larrea told Channel 1 TV that about 60 miners were trapped underground.

But Jose Pacheco, a spokesman for Sominur, which owns the mine, told another news agency, Reuters, that two men had died and 15 had been injured.

"There are no miners trapped as it has been said," he said.

The local firefighter, Segundo Guillen, said the powerful blast had shaken the town Machala, 15 minutes away.

He said rescue operations at the mine had been suspended due to darkness.

Minister Larrea said the explosion "demonstrates the need for responsible mining in Ecuador".