SHIJIAZHUANG -- A coal mine blast has killed seven people in north China's Hebei Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

Nineteen people were working underground at the Heicaigou Colliery located at Baicaocun Township in Hebei's Yuxian County at about 8:00 p.m. Monday when the explosives stored blew up, a spokesman with the provincial work safety administration said.

Six people are confirmed to have died underground. 13 others managed to flee the shaft but one of them was seriously injured and died after an attempted emergency operation, the spokesman said.

Local authorities are probing the cause of the accident, he said.