17 trapped inside coal mine in China

The mishap at the mine owned by Longmay Mining Holding Group happened on Thursday.

At least 17 people were trapped inside a coal mine in northeast China when a cage suspending them went for a free fall after its cable snapped.

AChinese flag moves in the breeze as a loader moves coal at a Chinese coal mine. The country’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest. (AP File Photo)

The miners were in the cage, which suddenly fell down during an operation after its electric cable caught fire and snapped, at Dongrong Second Mine in Heilongjiang province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

The mishap at the mine owned by Longmay Mining Holding Group happened on Thursday.

A total of 256 miners escaped, according to a local authority.

“I was working underground when the accident happened. I smelt choking smoke in the shaft,” said a miner surnamed Zhang, who was lifted out of the mine with others on Thursday evening.

Rescue work is underway.

China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest, and top work safety regulators have acknowledged that some mines cut corners on safety standards due to financial pressure.