Islamabad - A methane gas explosion deep inside a coal mine in Pakistan's mineral-rich province of Balochistan killed 14 miners and injured at least 11 others, media reports said Friday.

The blast occurred Thursday afternoon when more than 25 people were at work in Soranje coal mine, located some 25 kilometres from the provincial capital Quetta.

The explosion caused the mine to cave in, trapping the miners several hundred metres below ground level, the Daily Times newspaper said.

Most of the rescued miners, who had lost consciousness, were being treated in different hospitals in Quetta for burns and other injuries.

The Soranje mine, which is owned by the state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Cooperation, was closed for an indefinite period as the authorities carried out an inquiry into the incident, The Nation newspaper reported.

A similar explosion on January 4 in Balochistan's Mach area killed eight coal miners.

Balochistan is the largest but most impoverished province in Pakistan's south-west, where ethnic tribes are waging a low-level insurgency since 2004, seeking greater autonomy and a higher share in profits from the region's natural resources. (dpa)