Nine miners were killed and five others injured in a coal mine gas blast in Fengcheng, a city in east China's Jiangxi Province, on Monday, according to the local government yesterday.

The accident occurred at about 8:00 PM at Changfeng Coal Mine in Luoshi Town as 14 people were working underground. The bodies of the nine dead were found on Tuesday.

The colliery, which belongs to Jiangxi Provincial Coal Group, has been ordered to suspend production. Further investigations are underway.?

Today is also the deadline for all government officials who have invested in coal mines to withdraw their money, in line with a document issued last month by the State Council, China's cabinet.

The State Council announced yesterday that it is urging land and resources departments across the country to upgrade management of mineral exploration and mining operations in order to enhance workplace safety and environmental protection.

"It is an important factor to achieve mining sector safety by improving management and supervision," said Wang Min, vice minister of land and resources, in Beijing. "Repeated disasters have exposed many management loopholes in the sector, including poor safety measures, old equipment and lax safety procedures."

The Ministry of Land and Resources also launched hotlines yesterday (010-6655-8889, 6655-8890) to collect tips on illegal mining activities.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2005)