HARBIN - THREE rescuers were killed in a cave-in of a section of a colliery shaft on Monday morning, when they were searching for miners trapped in a mine blast in Qitaihe City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, said a source with the rescue team.

Fifteen miners had been confirmed dead, after the mine blast occurred on Sunday afternoon.

The rescue headquarters said the rescuers were from a professional mining accident rescue team owned by Longmei Colliery Group in the city. More than 100 rescuers have been involved in the rescue operation.

There were 25 people working under the Changlong Coal Mine, when the gas explosion occurred. Ten of them managed to escape, leaving the 15 trapped underground.

The cause of the blast is still under investigation. The privately-owned coal mine is licensed and has an annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes. -- AFP