HARBIN, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Flooding at an underground coal mine in northeast China left 24 workers trapped on early Saturday afternoon, according to state-run media on Sunday.

The accident happened around 1.30 p.m. local time at the Hengxinyuan Mine in Jinxi City, in the country's Heilongjiang Province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Xinhua reported that Li Zhanshu, the governor of Heilongjiang province, ordered to speed up pumping water and work out a detailed rescue plan to free the trapped miners.

Li arrived at the scene on Sunday together with provincial coal industry and work safety officials to coordinate rescue efforts.

The Hengxinyuan Mine was ordered to be shut down by the end of 2010, but Xinhua did not report why it was being shut down.

Although safety conditions have significantly improved in recent years, Saturday's incident is the latest in a series of deadly mine accidents in China.

Also on Saturday, 17 people were killed and 104 others were injured - seven of them seriously - after a large explosion at the Liugou Coal Mine in northern China. It happened around 3.40 a.m. local time in the dormitory area, where several buildings were destroyed in the blast.

An initial investigation has showed that the blast was caused by explosives hidden illegally in the area, and a suspect has been detained by police. Children and women were believed to be among the casualties.

Earlier this month, nearly four dozen miners were killed after four separate accidents in central and northwest China. And on June 21, 46 miners were killed after an explosion at a coal mine in central China.

In November 2009, 104 miners were killed after several explosions at a coal mine in China's Heilongjiang province.

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