BEIJING, March 11 (Reuters) - Seven people have died and two are missing after a gas explosion at Huaihe Energy's coalmine in China's eastern Anhui province on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Coalmine accidents are not rare in China. In January 16 people were killed in an accident in Pingdingshan in central China, prompting safety checks by the local authorities.

(Reporting by Ella Cao, Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo Editing by David Goodman)