Five die, 17 missing in mine blast

At least five miners have been killed and another 17 are missing following a gas explosion at a coal mine in Northeast China's Liaoning province on Thursday.

The blast occurred at around 11:40 am in a shaft at the Dahuang No 2 coal mine, at Dengta, where 23 miners were working.

As of Thursday night, five bodies had been found. One miner who had managed to escape was undergoing treatment, according to a statement by the government of Dengta, a county-level city under the administration of Liaoyang city.

The cause of the explosion was still unclear on Thursday night and local authorities had blocked the road leading to the mine.

About three hours after the accident, rescuers and ambulances began to arrive at the mine to carry out rescue work, according to local residents.

The 17 miners are believed to be trapped about 169 meters underground, but rescue teams had not made contact with them, Liaoshen Evening News reported on Thursday night, citing Jiang Zhenbo, a work safety official in Dengta.