Four people were killed in a landslide at a coal mine in northwestern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a local government source said Thursday.

The accident happened at around 10 AM Wednesday at the Helan Coal Mine in Shizuishan City when five workers were clearing the mouth of a coal mine shaft. Only one escaped, according to the source.

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of the four victims, who were from the region's Pingluo County, and the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu, according to the local government source.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2006)