Some 186 miners were working underground at the Liuguantun Colliery in the Kaiping District of Tangshan according to Xinhuanet, when the blast occurred Wednesday.
Rescuers have brought 110 miners to safety with 22 workers missing.
The coalmine was once a state-owned mine run by the local government and in 2002 it was transformed into a private mine with an annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes.
A 14-member rescue team has been sent from the Beijing-based State Administration of Coal Mine Safety to direct rescue efforts at the blast site.
This is the third major Chinese accident in two weeks involving scores of miners.
Also on Wednesday rescuers at the Sigou Coal Mine in central Henan province were trying to save 42 trapped miners whose whereabouts are unknown, Xinhua said.
Rescuers have drained water from the shaft and drilled holes for oxygen, and divers have been sent into the mine with a microphone, listening for signs of life, Xinhua said.
A total of 76 miners were working underground at the time and 34 escaped.
Ten officials from the Sigou Coal Mine, a privately-run company, were detained.
On Tuesday rescuers recovered the body of the last miner missing in the November 27 explosion at the Dongfeng Coal Mine in Heilongjiang province, bringing the final death toll in that tragedy to 171.
