Nine miners died and two others are missing in a gas outburst early Wednesday morning at a coal mine in Xingwen County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, rescuers said.

The accident also left nine miners injured.

The burst occurred at 1:32 AM in the Aotian Coal Mine in Shilin Town, when 28 miners were working underground.

Seventeen miners were rescued from the shaft, according to the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Supervision and Management Bureau.

All the injured miners have been hospitalized. Rescuers are still searching for the two missing.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

The mine is licensed, with an annual output of 60,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2006)