MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) – Sixteen miners were trapped underground after a coal mine was flooded in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday, citing local authorities.
The accident occurred at the Furuixiang coal mine in Qitaihe city at 11:40 p.m. on Saturday. There were 22 miners working underground when the mine was flooded. Six miners managed to escape.
Rescuers said they were laying conduits and installing facilities to pump water out of the coal mine.
Officials from the city's publicity department said the flooded colliery was a licensed coal mine operated by Furuixiang Coal Co., Ltd.
The coal industry in energy-hungry China is one of the most dangerous in the world due to poor work safety standards and intensive work schedules. Hundreds of lives are lost annually in accidents at coal mines in the country.
