黑龙江鸡西杏花煤矿发生火灾 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.

新华社报道，周五晚上黑龙江省鸡西一家国有煤矿公司发生火灾。之前报道，有22名人员被困地下，火灾的原因还未查明。

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

中国拥有世界上最致命的矿井，每年有数百名矿工死于煤矿事故。

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.

但中国的安全记录已经显示出改善的迹象，在最近几年，当局严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.

新华社报道，火灾爆发时，共有38名矿工在地下，有16名矿工成功脱险。当局表示，火灾目前已经控制住。去年中国东北辽宁省发生的矿井火灾致24人死亡，54人受伤。