21 miners trapped in flooded mine
( 2003-07-15 16:49) (Xinhua)
Twenty-one miners are still trapped beneath a flooded coalmine shaft in
Dengfeng City, central China's Henan Province, as rescue operations continue.
Sources from the Henan provincial bureau for supervision of coal mine
security said the flooding occurred at the Dongfeng Coal Mine in Baiping
Township, Dengfeng City, late last Sunday, and only a half of the 42 miners who
were working beneath the shaft at the time escaped danger.
After the accident, officials from relevant provincial government departments
rushed to the site to organize the rescue operations.
By now, the flooded water in the main corridor has been pumped out. Rescue
workers have been busy reinforcing passages to safely rescue the trapped miners
beneath the ground.
Dongfeng Coalmine is a township-run mine with a history of over 10 years. The
mine's legal representative, the leader of the miners, and other administrative
personnel fled the site, making it difficult for rescue workers to know the
underground situation of the mine.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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