The fire took place at the end of September at the Fuhua coal mine in northeast China when 43 miners were working underground, news agency Xinhua said.

Twelve miners managed to escape and 19 bodies were found at the end of September.

Rescue efforts continue to find the remaining five bodies.

Five people in connection with the incident, including the mine’s owner and manager, are in police custody.

China’s coal mines are viewed as the most dangerous in the world, with the country recording 3786 coal mining deaths in 2006.