172 miners trapped by flooding in China

BEIJING – A flash flood triggered by heavy rains poured into a coal mine in eastern China, trapping 172 miners, a state news agency reported Saturday.

There was no word on how many were believed to be still alive in the mine in the eastern province of Shandong.

The flooding occurred about 2:30 p.m. Friday in the mine run by the Huayuan Mining Co. in the city of Xintai, the Xinhua News Agency said.

Downpours hit the area Friday, punching a 175-foot-wide breach in a flood dike on the Wen river, Xinhua said. It said the water poured into the coal mine through an old shaft.

By 8:50 a.m. today, “the working places under the mine have all been inundated,” Xinhua said, citing rescue officials.

Directors of China’s industrial safety and coal mine safety agencies rushed to the scene to oversee rescue work, the report said.

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest, with fatalities reported every day in fires, floods and other disasters. Many are blamed on managers who disregard safety rules or fail to install required fire-control and other equipment.