The accident took place at 1:50 p.m. on Saturday at the Yuanhua Coal Mine in Jixi City, when 40 miners were working in the shaft. Twenty-two miners were killed, nine escaped unhurt and four others were injured. The four miners that were hospitalized are all out of danger, the sources said.

More than 80 rescuers are continuing to search for the five miners who are still missing.

A production foreman said there were five work zones at the mine. One was under construction and miners were digging for coal at the other four.

A power cut around 10 a.m. Saturday at one work site led to a breakdown of the ventilation system and the gradual accumulation of a large amount of gas.

When the electricity came on again at 1:00 p.m., Guan Youguo, who was in charge of ventilation in the shaft, told colleagues to release the accumulated gas. An explosion occurred shortly after.

Guan's fate in the gas explosion is unknown.

Built in 1996, the Yuanhua Coal Mine, a private coal production venture, is listed in the category of high gas volume mines.

Its annual production capacity is 60,000 tons and it has 130 people on its payroll.

At the end of August, the coal mine was forced by the local government to stop production due to outdated certificates on work safety. But the coal mine owners ignored the order and continued mining.

Jixi, about six hours' bus ride from Harbin, the provincial capital, is an important coal production base in northeast China.