The 17 miners are believed to be trapped about 169 meters underground, but rescue teams had not made contact with them, Liaoshen Evening News reported on Thursday night, citing Jiang Zhenbo, a work safety official in Dengta.

The Dahuang mine is a privately run enterprise with all the required legal licenses for coal mining. But the mine resumed operation after a holiday break without getting permission from Liaoyang coal mine safety authorities, a spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety told China Daily.

The administration is demanding a thorough investigation into the accident and warns that anyone found responsible will face harsh punishment.

Fu Jianhua, director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, has led a team to the mine to supervise the rescue work.

Dengta is a city with rich coal resources, reputedly as much as 380 million tons, attracting many mining enterprises.

According to information online, the Dahuang mine was established in 2000, employing no more than 100 miners. In 2009, the total assets of the mine reached 9.9 million yuan ($1.6 million), and it was a big contributor to the local government's tax revenue.

No one from the mine company was available for comment on Thursday evening.

In 2011, there were 1,973 miners reported killed in 1,201 coal mine accidents in China, of which 1,391 were killed in small mines.