Heavy Rain Batters China, Traps 12 Miners In Flooded Coal Mine + Mine Blast
Heavy Rain Batters China, Traps 12 Miners In Flooded Coal Mine + Mine Blast
RELENTLESS rain in large swathes of China has already caused wave after wave of catastrophe, the latest being 12 miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in northern China.
The stormy weather has left 50 people dead and 12 missing, destroying thousands of homes, authorities said on Sunday. Residents living along the Yangtze River are also bracing themselves for more flooding, with weather experts saying it could get even worse.
The State Administration of Work Safety said in an online statement on Sunday that the 12 miners are trapped in the coal-rich province of Shanxi. There were originally 94 miners working underground at the time of the flooding, bu 82 have been rescued.
State-owned news agency, Xinhua Net, tweeted that rescue is underway to recover the 12 miners.
China’s mines have been considered the world’s deadliest for a long time, but safety improvements have reduced deaths in recent years.
There has been no statement by any Chinese officials or authorities on the progress of the rescue at the time of writing.
China has been battling with a particularly wet monsoon season since the first half of June, when flooding in the south killed 25 people. 33,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes, including many in poorer, more remote regions.
According to AccuWeather, an additional 22 inches of rainfall are predicted to hit some Chinese cities in the coming week, with blue warnings by the China Meteorological Administration put into effect in a number of cities.
Coal mine fire traps 13 in NE China
A fire at a coal mine in northeast China’s Liaoning Province has trapped 13 people underground, the national work safety supervisor said Monday.
The mine in Benxi City caught fire early on Monday morning and rescue work is underway, the State Administration of Work Safety said.
The administration said the fire was caused by illegal mining and urged local authorities to guard against secondary accidents.
It ordered local authorities to pinpoint the cause of the accident. Anyone responsible must be held accountable.
