URUMQI - Twenty-two people were trapped in a coal mine following a gas explosion in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region early Friday, local authorities said.

The explosion occurred at 1:26 am at the Baiyanggou coal mine in Hutubi county in the Hui autonomous prefecture of Changji, when 34 miners were working underground, the prefecture government said.

Twelve workers managed to escape themselves.

Professional coal mine rescue teams and local firefighters have arrived at the site, according to the regional bureau of coal mine safety supervision.

To guard against possible secondary disasters, a rescue team has entered the shaft to learn about underground conditions before a rescue operation is launched to reach the trapped workers, the bureau said.