123 people are trapped after coal mine flood in northern China

123 trapped in flooded coal mine in northern China

BEIJING — At least 123 people were trapped underground Sunday after water gushed into a coal mine in northern China, a government agency said.

The Wangjialing coal mine in Shanxi province was flooded by underground water as 261 miners were working in the pit, the State Administration of Work Safety said on its Web site.

The administration said 138 of the miners were lifted safely to the ground but the others remained trapped and rescue work was under way. It said the cause of the flood was still under investigation.

Although China’s mine safety record has improved in recent years, it is still the deadliest in the world, with blasts and other accidents common.

The mine is located between Xiangning county and the city of Hejin and covers an area of 70 square miles (180 square kilometers), the official Xinhua News Agency said. Calls to the mine rang unanswered.

State broadcaster CCTV said the heads of the country’s coal mine and work safety administrations were leading a team of workers on their way to the site to assist with rescue efforts.

According to China’s Work Safety Administration, 2,631 people died in coal mine accidents in 2009. Many accidents were blamed on lax safety methods and poor training as mining companies scramble to feed the country’s voracious demand for coal.