At least 16 people died after a fire broke out at a coal mine in China's Panzhou city on Sunday, media reports said.

The fire occurred around 8:10 a.m. at the Shanjiaoshu Coal Mine in Panguan Town, according to the city government of Panzhou, reported Xinhua news agency.

An initial investigation found all 16 people were trapped after a conveyor belt caught fire.

The blaze has been extinguished, and temperatures have returned to normal at the site of the fire, officials said.