At least nine people were killed in a coal mine accident that had been covered up for five days in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, a provincial work safety official said Sunday.

The mine owner has confessed that nine miners have been killed in the accident in Didao District of coal-rich Jixi City on April 26, the official said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to media before the investigation is finished.

The finding came after a joint provincial investigation team arrived in Jixi on Saturday, in response to rumors of a coal mine gas explosion that killed about 10 people.

A family member of one of the victims, however, told Xinhua that the accident was a gas leak.

The team were still investigating the accident at the privately-owned mine that has a designed annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes .

The mine was suspected of illegal production as it was ordered to close for renovation at the time of accident.

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