Rescue efforts under way to save 14 trapped miners

Rescuers are busy pumping water from the shaft of a coal mine in Qitaihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, in an attempt to save 14 miners trapped underground by a flood on Sunday.

Twenty-two miners were working in the pit when the accident happened at 11:40 pm on Saturday at Furuixiang Coal Mine in Qitaihe city. Six miners managed to escape, according to Li Shuguang, an official in charge of emergency response with the city's work safety bureau.

Two Chinese characters that mean "safety" are seen on Sunday on the wall of an entrance to Furuixiang Coal Mine in Qitaihe city, Heilongjiang province, where 14 miners were trapped underground after a flood on Saturday. [Photo/Xinhua]

As of press time on Sunday, two miners had been pulled out of the pit, which was inundated with more than 4,000 metric tons of water after the accident, according to rescuers. The two were sent to a local hospital.

Four pumps have been put into use since Sunday afternoon to transfer the water, and rescuers said the pumping would last 10 hours.

Local authorities have mobilized more than 200 rescuers and medical personnel.

Police placed the mine's owner under surveillance and froze the mine's assets, Li said.

One of the two rescued miners, 43-year-old Wen Hongfu, told China Central Television that his younger brother, 42-year-old Wen Honghe, is still trapped underground. Wen Hongfu suffered minor injuries and is receiving treatment.

The ages of the trapped miners range from 30 to 50, CCTV reported.

Local authorities said the flooded colliery was a licensed site operated by Furuixiang Coal Corp, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

This is not the first time Qitaihe has suffered a coal mine accident in recent years.

In November 2005, a gigantic explosion rocked a coal mine in the city, killing 171 miners and injuring 48.

An investigation by the State Council found the tragedy was caused by irregular use of dynamite. Eleven mine officials were criminally punished, and another 21 were given disciplinary or administrative penalties.

Qitaihe is well known for its rich mineral resources, especially coal. The city was established in 1958 with the primary goal of developing local mines.

The city is now the largest manufacturer of coking coal and coke in Northeast China and has about 400 million tons of coal and coke reserves, according to the city government.

In an attempt to diversify its economy from the heavy reliance on the mining industry, Qitaihe is carrying out an economic transformation, it said.

A series of coal mine accidents have occurred in the past three months, suggesting China is still being haunted by safety problems in its mines.

An explosion of gas and coal claimed 23 lives and injured five people in a mine in Liupanshui of Guizhou province on Nov 24.

The biggest mine accident this year occurred on Aug 29, when 48 people were killed and 54 injured in a gas explosion in a coal mine in Panzhihua, Sichuan province. The accident led to the detention of 14 people who were found responsible and the suicide of another person involved in the case.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn