Nine miners were killed and six injured after an explosion Sunday at a private coal mine in southwest China's Yunnan province, state media reported late Sunday.
The explosion Sunday morning at the Shizishan Colliery in Zhaotong city killed eight people on the spot while a ninth died later in hospital, Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.
The head of the coal mine and those in charge of production safety were being held by the local authorities while an investigation into the cause of the blast was underway, Xinhua said.
China's coal mines are regarded as the most dangerous in the world, with more than 4,700 workers killed last year, according to official figures. Independent labour groups put the death toll at up to 20,000 annually.
