Coal mine flood traps 12 in northwest China

BEIJING, July 14 (Reuters) Chinese rescue workers were struggling to dig through coal waste and silt today to save 12 miners trapped in a flooded pit in the northwest of the country, state media said.

A rainstorm yesterday flooded the Jinli Coal Field in Inner Mongolia where the 12 were working, Xinhua news agency said.

Accidents occur almost daily in China's coal-mining industry, the most dangerous in the world.

Last year nearly 6,000 Chinese died in 3,300 coal mine blasts, floods and other accidents, according to official figures.

Chinese miners are struggling to meet booming demand for coal, which provides about 70 per cent of the nation's energy.

REUTERS SHB KP1006