153 people missing after coal mine floods in northern China; rescuers rushing to free them

more images

more images

Flood traps 153 coal miners in northern China

BEIJING — Rescuers were scrambling Monday to save 153 workers trapped after a flood swept through a coal mine in northern China, the country’s work safety agency said.

The derelict tunnels are posing new risks to miners even as China ramps up safety in its notoriously hazardous mines.

Rescuers raced to pump water from the Wangjialing coal mine in north China’s Shanxi province that started flooding Sunday afternoon, work safety officials said. The state-owned mine about 400 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of Beijing was under construction and had been scheduled to start production later this year, the China Daily newspaper reported.

The accident would be one of the worst in recent years if rescue efforts fail and would set back marked safety improvements in China’s deadly mines.

Some 261 workers were inside the mine when it flooded, and 108 escaped or were rescued, China’s State Administration of Work Safety said in a statement on its Web site early Monday.

Fan Leisheng, one of the miners who escaped, described the sudden rush of water that tore through the mine.

“It looked like a tidal wave and I was so scared,” Fan told China Central Television. “I immediately ran away and looked back to see some others hanging behind. I shouted at them to get out. It was unbelievable because I got out from 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) underground.”

Pipes and pumping equipment had been delivered to the site and water was being pumped out of the mine, Liu Dezheng, a chief engineer with the work safety bureau in Shanxi, said during a televised news conference Monday.

China Central Television showed workers pushing trolleys loaded with water pipes toward the mine and a row of ambulances standing at the ready.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that President Hu Jintao ordered local authorities to “spare no effort” in saving the trapped workers.

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