Coal mine flooding traps 12 in N China

TAIYUAN - Twelve people were trapped after a coal mine flooding Wednesday morning in North China's Shanxi Province, according to local authorities.

The accident occurred around 3 am at a pit under construction, which is located in Hongtong County, Linfen City, a spokesman with the provincial coal mine safety administration said.

Twenty-two people who were working underground escaped from the flooded shaft, said the spokesman, adding that rescuers had managed to talk over the phone with four of the trapped.

The mine, with a designed annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, is owned by the Ji'anda Coal Mining Co., Ltd. of Shanxi Luhe Coal-Chemical Group.

Rescue efforts are underway.