Society
44 trapped in north China coal mine flood
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-01 14:32
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BEIJING: A coal mine flood in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has trapped dozens of people in the pit since Monday morning, safety authorities said.
The accident happened at around 7:30 am at Luotuoshan (Mt. Camel) Coal Mine in Wuhai City, at least 600 kilometers from the regional capital Hohhot, the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) said on its website.
It said 44 mine workers were trapped.
Local authorities in Wuhai, however, said "about 40" were trapped, of whom eight had been rescued as of 2 pm.
SAWS chief Luo Lin and deputy chief Zhao Tiechui -- who is in charge of coal mine safety -- are on their way to the site.
Luotuoshan Coal Mine is owned by Wuhai Energy Co. Ltd. and its parent company is Shenhua Group, one of China's mining giants.
The mine is designed to produce 1.5 million tonnes a year.
