Five miners have been trapped underground after a gas blast Thursday ripped through a colliery in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The accident occurred at 12:30 p.m. in the Futong coal mine in the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, as 10 miners were fixing ventilation and water pipes underground. Five of them managed to escape.

Rescue work is under way and the cause of the accident is being investigated by regional work safety supervision authorities.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2009)