Nine miners were killed and four others were left injured after
a gas explosion in a coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou Province Thursday, according to a
local production safety watchdog.
The accident occurred at Wanjin Coal Mine in Xianyuan Town,
Zunyi City, at around 1: 50 PM with 26 miners reported to have been
underground. Thirteen of these made their escape.
The privately-owned coal mine, said to have an annual coal
production capacity of 60,000 tons, does have a legal business
license but an investigation into the accident has been opened.
(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2007)