BUCHAREST, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Interior Minister Cristian David said Sunday the ministry has started to investigate the serious Petrila coal mine blast which has killed 12 people and injured 14 so far.

    The investigation is aimed at finding possible criminal implications and people responsible for the accident, the minister said at a press conference.

    The investigation commission includes experts, prosecutors, police officers and inspectors from the local labor authority.

    The leadership of Petrila mine has been suspended from duty, according to Economy and Finance Minister Varujan Vosganian.

    A methane blast hit the mine's pit 431, 250 meters underground, at 14:50 (12:50 GMT) Saturday when 16 workers were on duty. A second blast jolted the scene at about 18:40 (16:40 GMT), killing four rescue workers.

    The production chief engineer was among the killed, according to the latest official list of victims.

    The Petrila coal mine is located in Hunedoara, southwestern Romania, with a staff of about 1,490 and an annual output of about 390,000 tons.

    This is probably Romania's worst mine disaster since Nov. 29, 1980, when 53 miners were killed in a gas blast at the Livezeni mine in Hunedoara.