According to Illinois state police, the crash happened about 2.20pm Tuesday as the Beelman Trucking coal haul truck was leaving the Knight Hawks Prairie Eagle mine with a load.

Knight Hawk Coal contracts Beelman Trucking to haul material.

The condition of the Beelman driver has not been released.

The propane truck caught fire as a result of the crash, according to police reports. As firefighters from four departments battled the blaze there were another two further explosions.

Knight Hawk released a statement saying the crash did not involve any of its employees.

According to The Southern Illinoisan, the explosions knocked out power to the Prairie Eagle mine.

A spokesman for Knight Hawk told the newspaper that second-shift coalminers were sent home but operations would resume for third-shift workers.

The Prairie Eagle mine employs about 60 workers and began production in 2009.

A miner was killed underground there on February 13.

MSHA said Timothy Chamness, 28, of Royalton, was the continuous miner operator who died.

He marked the fourth US coal mine fatality this year.

Federal records list Arch Coal as the complex’s controlling company.