21 dead, 1 missing in NE China colliery fire

Rescuers have found bodies of 21 workers and located the other missing after a coal mine caught fire on Friday night in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The fire broke out at about 09:50 p.m. at the coal mine in Jixi City, operated by state-owned Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group, the city government of Jixi told Xinhua. A total of 38 miners were working down in the shaft when the fire broke out, and 16 of them managed to escape. The government said the fire was under control and no secondary disaster had been reported. President of the mining group Hao Fukun said rescuers could reach the missing miner by midnight. As of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, communication, power supply and hoisting system in the shaft have been resumed, Hao said, adding the ventilation condition has been significantly improved. The coal mine, with a production capacity of 2 million tonnes every year, is fully licensed. An investigation is under way.