Rain dampens hopes for 12 trapped farmers

FANCHANG, Anhui: Attempts to rescue 12 people trapped inside a collapsed iron mine here were halted yesterday, due to fresh cave-ins and landslides caused by heavy rain, but provincial chiefs said work will resume as soon as possible.

Cheng Chuanru, head of the Anhui provincial work safety bureau, said the first cave-in happened at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, at the mine in Fanchang, a county about two hours' drive from Hefei, the provincial capital, trapping at least 12 farmers.

Anhui Party Secretary Wang Jinshan and Governor Wang Sanyun told the rescue team to resume operations as soon as possible. A vice-governor was also sent to the site to monitor progress.