Gas outburst kills 6 in Hunan colliery

Six miners were killed in a gas outburst at a colliery in central China's Hunan Province early Thursday morning, local authorities have announced.

The accident happened at 3 a.m. at a shaft of Qisi Coal Mine in Xinshao County, according to a statement issued by the provincial coal mine safety bureau.

Rescue work finished by 4 p.m, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

The township-owned coal mine is licensed for annual production of 90,000 tonnes of coal, according to the statement.