A fire which broke out at a coal mine in north China's Shanxi province early on Sunday morning has trapped 19 miners underground. Their fate remained unknown by 11 pm on Sunday.
The fire, which occurred at 7 am on Sunday at the Chiyu Coal Mine in Huozhou city, was triggered by an electric cable catching alight in the main shaft, local rescue teams said.
The state-owned coal mine has been managed by the Huozhou Coal and Power Company Group since November 1997, local sources said.
While the Shanxi Provincial Government has sent officials to the coal mine to organize the rescue work, the Huozhou Municipal Government has ordered all coal mines in the city to halt production for safety checks, the sources added.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2002)
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