At least seven dead in coal mine flood
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-21 06:41

Seven miners have been killed and another seven are missing after a coal mine flooded in north China's Hebei province, Xinhua news agency said.

The disaster occurred around 5:00 am on Saturday in Xingtai City, Xinhua cited local government officials as saying.

No reason for the accident was given.

The Hebei accident on Saturday followed a gas explosion at a coal mine in southwestern China's Guizhou province on Friday that killed at least 10 people, Xinhua said Sunday.

Another six miners were missing and feared dead from the Guizhou blast, Xinhua reported.

Twenty-five miners were working down in the pit when the blast went off and caused a cave-in at the Shagou colliery in Panlong town, in the city of Liupanshui. Nine of them escaped.

The chance of survival for the six missing miners was slim as the density of carbon monoxide underground was high, Xinhua cited experts saying.

Police have arrested the owner of the mine, who fled the site after the accident.

The mine is designed to produce 30,000 tons of coal a year but was undergoing reconstruction to increase production capacity to 60,000 tons when the blast occurred, said Xinhua.

The search for the missing miners continued despite passageways being badly damaged, which made it difficult to reach the stranded, it said.