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At the time the owner of the privately owned Taiyuan mine told authorities no one was trapped.
The provincial work safety watchdog received a tip-off on Friday that 13 miners were missing in the mine.
Investigations including visits to miners' families and further questioning of the mine owner confirmed the tip-off, and rescue workers entered the mine on Saturday.
The fire in the mine is still burning, but was brought under control with fire extinguishers and water pumped into the mine.
Rescue officials said it would take at least a week to extinguish the fire.
The condition of the trapped miners is not known.
