The explosion occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Daping mine, southwest of Beijing.
Some 446 people were at work in the mine at the time of the explosion, and 298 escaped alive, deputy administrator of the State Administration of Work Safety Sun Huashan told Xinhua News Agency.
Rescue attempts continue but officials hold little hope of finding the missing miners alive.
The accident was China's deadliest coal mine disaster this year.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.