The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan announced that a fire at a coal mine has killed at least 32 people, and left more than a dozen others missing.

The country's ministry that deals with emergencies said there was an accidental explosion at the mine in the central region of Karaganda on Saturday.

Kazakh authorities are conducting a search for 14 people who remain unaccounted for, while investigating the cause of the accident and looking into the safety management of the mine operator.

The firm says around 250 workers were inside the mine at the time of the accident, and most of them have already been rescued.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev traveled to the site, extended his condolences to the families of the workers killed, and emphasized that he will provide support for the relatives and take necessary action.

Local media cited that the company owns multiple mines in Kazakhstan and has repeatedly experienced accidents.

The media say five people died in August in one of those accidents.