Only one of the miners on the shift survived the accident near the village of Godavarikhani, 170 kilometres (105 miles) north of the state capital, Hyderabad.

The fatal accident was the second in four months to occur at the mine complex, owned by Singareni Collieries in the Karimnagar district.

Seventeen men died after water burst through a coal mine wall in June.

Search for bodies

The miner who survived Friday's collapse, Manda Lingaiah, suffered minor injuries and was being treated in hospital in Godavarikhani.

He told authorities the accident occurred when the miners set off a blast to break fresh coal at a depth of around four metres in the 15-year-old mine.

Two bodies have been retrieved and authorities are continuing the search for the other miners, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

A mine workers' union leader in Godavarikhani, Y. Gattaiah, said the management should have taken more precautions before the blasting was carried out.

In June, authorities spent two days pumping out thousands of gallons of water to retrieve the bodies of the 17 dead miners, who were trapped 100 metres below ground.