Eight miners were confirmed dead in a coal mine gas outburst in central China's Hunan Province, after their bodies have been retrieved, local authorities said Saturday.

Rescuers recovered two bodies in the shaft on Friday afternoon, and the remaning six by 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the coal industry bureau of Hunan.

The accident occurred at Friday noon when the eight miners were working underground in state-owned Jiahe Coal Mine in Chenzhou City, it said.

The Jiahe Coal Mine is owned by the Xiangmei Group, one of Hunan's minging giants.