26 trapped in coal mine flood in NE China

Miners prepare to enter a flooded coal pit to rescue trapped workers in a coal mine in Qitaihe city, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, August 23, 2011. The pit was flooded while 45 miners were working in it. 19 managed to escape while 26 others remain trapped. Rescue efforts are under way. The flooded pit was part of a small mine that was operating illegally. It had been ordered to halt production and integrate into a larger mine before resuming operations, a spokesman with the provincial work safety administration said. The small mine belongs to Hengtai Coal Mining Co., Ltd.[Photo/Xinhua]