CHIFENG, China, Dec. 3 (UPI) — An explosion at a coal mine in northern China killed 17 people Saturday and trapped 10 more inside the mine, according to local authorities.
The blast, reported by state-run Xinhua News Agency, happened around noon local time. The mine is located in the city of Chifeng, which is located in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
CNN reported the mine is operated by Baoma Mining Co. Officials did not say what caused the explosion. There were believed to be more than 30 people working inside the coal mine when the explosion happened.
Rescue efforts to reach the trapped employees continued into the evening, with city officials telling Xinhua that they had yet to reach the victims more than seven hours after the explosion.
