Thirty-six people were trapped underground Sunday in a flooded
coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou Province, local authorities
said.
The accident occurred at around 12:30 PM Sunday when 80 miners
were working underground at the Tianchi Colliery, located in
Xujiaba Town, Sinan County. Forty-four workers were rescued but the
other 36 remain missing.
No deaths or injuries have been reported.
The colliery is a township-owned mine with an annual production
capacity of 30,000 tons. Its safety rating for 2004 is C on the
four-level system. A rating of D means the mine is not qualified to
operate.
Sixteen men died in an explosion earlier this month at a
township-owned coal mine in Liupanshui City, Guizhou.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2004)