A gas outburst has trapped seven people working underground at a coal mine in the eastern Jiangxi province on Thursday at about 4.30pm at the Jianxin Coal Mine, official news agency Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, another coal mine in southwestern Guizhou Province has collapsed and trapped 12 miners.

The accident took place at around 4pm Wednesday at the Rongyang Coal Mine in the Guizhou province, while the miners were in the process of changing shifts, Xinhua said.

A spokesman said rescuers are still digging a tunnel to reach the trapped miners.