Eight people have been killed in four colliery accidents in southwest China's Yunnan Province, sources with the provincial coal mine safety supervision bureau said on Saturday.

A gas blast occurred in the Luojiaqing No.1 shaft of the Sanjie coal industry company in Chuxiong City at about 5:30 PM Wednesday, leaving five dead and one seriously injured.

Gas leaked on the same day in the Chinahe coal mine of Dongshan township of Xuanwei city in eastern Yunnan, suffocating one miner.

Shaft collapsed in the Xuekong colliery of Xiangyun County in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, killing one person on Tuesday.

Another miner died of the same reason in the Dachonggou coal mine of Shizong County in Qujing on Monday.

According to the Yunnan provincial coal mine safety supervision bureau, the province has seen eight coal mine accidents that killed 12 people since June 1.

Fifty-five coal mine accidents occurred in Yunnan so far this year, killing 79 people.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2007)