More than 50 miners were trapped in a coal mine in Chengde County, north China's Hebei Province, where a gas blast occurred early Thursday morning, the provincial coal mine supervision authorities confirmed.

The accident took place at around 3:00 AM Thursday in the Nuan'erhe Colliery when more than 50 miners working underground. Condition of the trapped miners remain unknown.

Governor Ji Yunshi and other government official have rushed to the accident site to direct rescue efforts and investigate the cause of the blast.  

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2005)