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 a.m. 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.

Source: Xinhua