One miner was killed and another 16 were still trapped underground after a coal mine accident occurred in north China's Shanxi Province on Saturday morning, local authority said on Sunday.

The accident took place at around 11:20 a.m. at Wujiu Coal Mine in the southern suburb of Datong City when 24 miners were working in the shaft. Seven miners managed to escape, a Datong city government official said.

Preliminary analysis showed the accident was likely to be led by a gas blast or coal mine spontaneous ignition.

The coal mine was a registered one with an annual production capability of 150,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2008)