A coal mine fire that occurred Wednesday night left at least 36 people trapped underground in east China's Shandong Province, according to State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) early Thursday.

An air compression device at a parking lot 225 meters underground caught fire around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, trapping 36 miners working in the area, according to initial investigation.

The mine belongs to Zaozhuang Fangbei Coal Mine Co. Ltd. in Shangdong Province.

An experts team headed by SAWS director Luo Lin rushed to the scene immediately. Rescue operation is going on.

The licensed coal mine is a low gas mine. It had completed technical revamp in June 2010 to expand production capacity to 150,000 tonnes a year. The work passed check of approval in October the same year.

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