ANKARA

At least 26 people were killed in a fire which broke out in a building of a coal mine company in northern China, state-run media said on Thursday.

The fire broke out in the morning in a four-story building of a private coal mine company, located in city of Lüliang in the Shanxi Province, Global Times reported.

Rescue teams evacuated around 70 people from the building and 63 of them were taken to local hospitals.

Authorities said they had launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

The building belongs to Yongju Coal Group, one of the largest private enterprises in Shanxi.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid