黑龍江雞西杏花煤礦發生火災 22人被困

The fire began on Friday at the coal mine run by a state-owned company in Jixi City, Heilongjiang province, Xinhua news agency says. It earlier reported that 22 people were trapped underground. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

新華社報道，週五晚上黑龍江省雞西一家國有煤礦公司發生火災。之前報道，有22名人員被困地下，火災的原因還未查明。

China has the world's deadliest mines, with hundreds of mine workers killed in accidents every year.

中國擁有世界上最致命的礦井，每年有數百名礦工死於煤礦事故。

But the country's safety record has shown signs of improvement in recent years as the authorities enforce a strict compliance with safety laws and procedures.

但中國的安全記錄已經顯示出改善的跡象，在最近幾年，當局嚴格遵守安全法律和程序。

A total of 38 miners were underground when the blaze started, but 16 of them managed to escape, Xinhua says. The authorities say the fire is now under control. Last year, 24 people were killed and 54 injured an underground fire at a mine in China's north-eastern Liaoning province.

新華社報道，火災爆發時，共有38名礦工在地下，有16名礦工成功脫險。當局表示，火災目前已經控制住。去年中國東北遼寧省發生的礦井火災致24人死亡，54人受傷。