The Zhenxing Coal Mine in central China's Hubei Province flooded at about 4.30am local time on Sunday, when 10 miners were working underground, official news agency Xinhua reported.

 

Three miners managed to escape by themselves and another one was rescued by emergency workers, but six died in the accident.

 

In the neighbouring Hunan Province, the bodies of four miners killed in an earlier coal mine gas explosion were found on Sunday, bringing the death toll to nine in the blast.

 

The explosion occurred at about 10am on Thursday at Lianyi Coal Mine in Lianyuan City while 20 miners were working underground. Nine workers managed to escape and two others were rescued.

 

Initial investigations showed that the mine owner had ordered the miners to repair tunnels without measuring the gas density, and their electric tools could have triggered the explosion, Xinhua said.

 

On Saturday, eight people died and four were injured in a gas explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

 

The local administration of coal mine safety said the accident took place at an illegally run mine in Nayong County.