A coal mine here in Germany.
(illustration) -
INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Rescuers were working on Sunday to rescue 21 miners stranded in a mine in China's Xinjiang region (northwest) after floods that cut off the power and disrupted communications, official media said.
The accident happened on Saturday evening at the Fengyuan site in Hutubi county, while workers at the coal mine were carrying out improvement works, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Eight of the 29 people in the mine were rescued, according to initial reports.
Rescuers managed to locate 12 other people on one platform, eight on another and the 21st on an escape route where water entered, according to CCTV.
"The platform where the 12 are located is 1,200 meters below ground level and the terrain is complex, which makes the rescue operation difficult," said the channel.
Rescuers were trying to pump the water that flooded the galleries after flooding, while blowing air.
Accidents often occur in mines in China due to the often poor safety conditions.
In January, 22 miners in eastern China were stranded for nearly two weeks after an explosion blocked the entrance to the mine.
Eleven had been rescued, ten were dead and one minor had been reported missing.
World
China: miners trapped underground managed to send message to rescuers
World
China: miners trapped underground managed to send message to rescuers
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