Beijing, Dec 16 (PTI) Twenty-two people were trapped when a coal mine was flooded in the Chinese city of Xiaoyi, as a result of illegal mining, local authorities said on Thursday.

The accident took place at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday at a coal mine in Duxigou Village, Xixinzhuang Township in Shanxi province.

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Quoting officials, state-run Xinhua news agency said that an initial investigation showed that a total of 22 people were working under the ground at the time of accident.

Rescue work is underway. The local public security department has detained three suspects involved in the accident and is hunting the mine owner who has fled, the report said.

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)