Nine miners were killed and four injured when floods engulfed a colliery in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the local mine industry watchdog said on Wednesday.

About 800 cubic meters of water inundated the Lutang mine shaft in Banli Village, Pengshui County, at about 2 p.m. on Monday, when 107 workers were below ground. Emergency workers rescued 98 miners from the pit in the past two days and recovered the bodies of nine others.

The colliery, a subsidiary of the state-owned Chongqing Energy Investment Group, registered a production capacity of 110,000 tons in 2007.

Police and mine safety supervision administration officials are investigating the cause of the tragedy.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2008)