A gas explosion Tuesday in a coal mine in eastern China trapped 27 workers underground.

Twelve other miners were lifted out of the privately owned mine in Huainan city in Anhui province after the blast, one of whom suffered burns.

Rescuers were having difficulty reaching the trapped miners as the blast caused part of a tunnel to collapse. The cause of the blast was under investigation.

Rescue efforts

Blast in China coal mine traps 27 miners

A gas explosion Tuesday in a coal mine in eastern China trapped 27 workers underground.

The Dongfang Coal Mine had not heeded an order from the municipal government more than a month ago for all mines to suspend production because of the flood season, according to Xinhua.

Most of the trapped miners were in their 40s.

Last week, a coal mine flooded in Jixi city in Heilongjiang province in China’s northeast, trapping 25 workers, nine of whom were pulled out the next day. Xinhua reported Tuesday that three bodies had been found. It said 13 were still trapped and that their chances of survival were slim.

Report compiled with information from The Associated Press and Xinhua