A coalmine gas burst killed seven workers in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, local authorities said Monday.

A total of ten workers were trapped by the accident at 8:43 AM Sunday at a mine operated by the Tianfu Mining Company in Hechuan District, said Guo Mingyue, deputy head of the district.

The bodies of seven workers were recovered Monday morning, and a further three workers were rescued alive.

The state-owned Tianfu Mining Company, with an annual production of 2.15 million tonnes, has been ordered to suspend production.

Local authorities were investigating the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2009)