There were 25 miners in the mine when the accident occurred at 5:00 am, and nine of them managed to escape, Gong Anku, director of the provincial coal mine safety supervision bureau, was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
He said the Taiping colliery, with annual production capability of 60,000 tons, had a complete set of official licenses and safety production certificates.
Investigations were under way.
Fatal coal mine accidents in China rose 8.5 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to last year, with thousands dying despite stepped-up efforts to make the industry safer, according to government statistics released last week.
More than 6,000 miners died in accidents in China last year, according to previously released government figures. Independent estimates say the real figure could be as high as 20,000.
China's mines are considered the most dangerous in the world.