Coal mine flood traps Chinese miners
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About 20 workers are trapped underground after a coal mine in central China flooded, in the latest accident to hit the country's notoriously dangerous mining industry.
More than 50 miners were working underground early on Sunday when the accident occurred at the mine in Henan province's Yuzhou city, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted local authorities as saying.
Xinhua said about 30 miners escaped the flood and rescue efforts were under way to reach those still missing.
China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet surging demand for coal - the source of about 70 per cent of the country's energy.
Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures, although independent monitors say the real figure is likely higher as many accidents are covered up.
On Thursday, 27 miners were killed and six injured by a gas explosion at a coal mine in northeastern Liaoning province, state media reports said.
- AFP
