Coal mine accident claims 16 lives in Guizhou

An accident at a coal mine in Southwest China's Guizhou province killed 16 people on Sunday, the local government announced on Sunday evening.

The accident happened in a town in Panzhou city, Guizhou on Sunday morning, causing 16 trapped, the city's government said in a statement released on its official website.

It didn't define the nature of the accident, but added that initial investigation indicated that conveyor belt which had caught fire, were the reason for the accident.

At present, the fire has been put out, and the temperature and gas at the scene have returned to normal, said the statement.

After preliminary confirmation, the 16 trapped people had no vital signs, it said.