Fourteen miners were killed in a gas explosion that ripped through a coalmine early on Wednesday in southwest China's Guizhou Province, rescue headquarters at the site said.

The accident occurred at the Fengxiangpo Coalmine, a village-run pit in Kaiyang County, on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Guiyang, at 1:30 AM. 14 miners were working underground at the time, said a spokesman with the provincial coalmine safety supervision bureau.

Five miners were killed on the spot and nine others died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the spokesman.

The collapse of a ventilation shaft led to the accumulation of excessive gas underground, which triggered the blast.

The local government has promised to compensate the families of the victims in accordance with regulations.

Fengxiangpo is a licensed coal mine with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2005)