Fifteen people have been killed by a gas explosion at a coal mine in south western China.

Eighteen workers are still missing after just two members of a 35-person crew escaped the blast at a mine operated by Jinshangou Coal Industry in the city of Chongqing.

Rescuers are on site, while municipal authorities have ordered all of the city’s coal mines to suspend operations while new safety inspections are planned.

China’s State Administration of Work Safety has also ordered an investigation too.

China is the world’s largest coal producer and consumer, but it is also home to some of the most deadly mines on the planet.

Ongoing government efforts have seen coal mining deaths drop in recent years from 6,995 in 2002 down to 768 in 2015.