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)