Fifty chinese miners trapped underground after fire

Fifty miners were trapped underground after a fire

engulfed a gold mine in north-eastern China, state media reported.

A further 279 workers had been rescued at the Luoshan mine in

Shandong Province, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing

an unnamed spokesperson with the rescue headquarters.

Rescuers had identified the location of 47 of the trapped workers,

the report said, and more than 100 people were assisting with the

search.

An initial investigation showed that an underground cable may have

been responsible for the fire, which broke out Friday evening.

China’s mines are notoriously dangerous, with poor safety

standards leading to frequent accidents.