A coal mine in central China flooded early Sunday, trapping 18 miners underground, officials and state media said, in the latest accident to hit the country's notoriously dangerous mining industry.
The accident took place in Henan province's Yuzhou city, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety said in a notice on its website.
State-run Xinhua news agency said 62 miners were underground when the flood occurred, but that most were able to escape immediately.
Six more were later pulled out by rescuers, leaving 18 still trapped, it said, quoting rescue personnel.
Neither the government department nor Xinhua gave any information on the cause of the flood.
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 percent 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 since many accidents are covered up.
A gas explosion at a coal mine in northeastern Liaoning province on Thursday killed 27 miners and injured six, state media reports said.
earlier related report
12 dead in China mine blast: report
A coal mine gas blast in southwest China's Sichuan province early Friday killed 12 people and left six others missing, state media reported.
The explosion occurred at 2:52 am in a mine in Xingwen county, the Xinhua news agency said.
Forty-four people were working in the mine at the time and 26 emerged alive, the agency said, citing the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration.
The accident happened just a day after a blast in a mine in northeast China killed 27.
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 percent 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 to be higher as many accidents are covered up.
