Six people were killed in a coal mine fire in north China's Shanxi Province, a local source said on Tuesday.

The fire broke out at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday in a private mine in Pingding County when 21 miners were underground, said an official with the Yangquan municipal government on Tuesday.

Nine people managed to escape the fire but 12 were trapped. Six miners were later rescued, he said.

The Haixiang Coal Mine Co. Ltd, which belongs to Xishuohuang Village of Guanshan Town, has all the licenses required and an annual production capacity of 90,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 12, 2008)