An explosion ripped through a small unlicensed coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou Province Monday, leaving two people injured and five others trapped underground, local authorities said Tuesday.

Gas in the mine in Qinglong County in landlocked Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qianxinan, exploded at 8:40 p.m. Monday, the emergency response office in Qianxinan said in a statement.

The local government has dispatched rescuers to save the trapped miners.

Work safety authorities and police are investigating the cause of the explosion.