A fire at a coal mine in eastern China reportedly trapped 28 workers underground. The incident comes as rescuers tried to save 42 miners trapped in different mines.

The State Administration of Work Safety told the Associated Press that an air compressor 700 feet underground caught fire Wednesday evening and trapped 36 miners in Shandong province. As of Thursday morning, the administration reported that 28 people were still trapped.

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AFP states that the other eight miners were able to escape.

The fire underground has not yet been put out.

"The ongoing accidents in different regions highlight the continuing risks of China’s mining industry, one of the world’s most dangerous despite the government’s efforts to improve its safety record," the AP states.

Meanwhile, heavy rain caused two accidents at mines in southern China last Saturday. Rescuers continue to try to reach the 42 miners trapped since then.

In an effort to encourage them, local authorities have promised rescuers at the mine in Heshan city in Guangxi region, one of the two mines in southern China, a two million yuan ($310,000) reward for each worker they pull out alive, AFP reports. There are 19 miners still trapped there.

A search also continues at a mine in the southwestern province of Guizhou, where 23 miners remain trapped since Saturday's flooding.

China's mining industry is considered the deadliest in the world. Last year, official statistics showed that  2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in China.