Twelve miners were killed and 13 others were injured during a gas explosion early Sunday at a coal mine in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to local sources.
The explosion occurred at the Tianba Coal Mine in Qujing City, which employs about 3,000 workers and has an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons. Production has been suspended, while an investigation team is trying to find out the cause of the accident.
The Yunnan provincial government has allocated 600,000 yuan (about 73,000 U.S. dollars) to deal with the aftermath of the disaster, while calling for an overall safety check-up at coal mines across the province.
Mines failing to meet the safety standards will be closed down, according to provincial government sources.