At least 10 killed in 3 mining accidents

At least 10 miners are thought to have died and 20 others are still trapped in three separate mining accidents this week, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Friday.

Eight female miners were buried 10 meters underground on December 26, after a sudden cave-in at an abandoned iron mine in Anyang County in Central China's Henan Province, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The hope of survival for the trapped miners is slim, said Zhou Shaolong, head of the provincial bureau of work safety.

In North China's Shanxi Province, rescuers are still searching for 15 miners trapped underground in a flooded coal mine on Friday afternoon.

A total of 17 workers were trapped underground when the flooding accident occurred at Fanjiasi Coal Mine in Zuoyun County on Wednesday, Xinhua reported. Two miners have already been confirmed dead.

By Friday noon, rescuers had drained more than 17,000 cubic meters of water in three laneways.

But the collapse of pillars in the site has stalled the rescue efforts, said officials at the scene.

In a third accident, in East China's Shandong Province, three miners were saved on Friday morning while another five remain missing at a gold mine under construction in Daliushu Township in Shandong's Penglai. The flood occurred at 7 am on Thursday morning.

Source: China Daily