Chinese discussed mine threat day before disaster

BEIJING, Aug 20 (Reuters) Chinese safety officials held a meeting on flood dangers in old mines in the same city where a river breached a levee, trapping and possibly killing about 180 miners.

The meeting occurred the day before the accident.

The coal mine safety bureau of east China's Shandong province convened a meeting on flood dangers in Xintai city on Thursday.

Frantic efforts to pump out the water from the Xintai mine continued today.

The report on the bureau's Web site (www.sdcoal.gov.cn) showed that Shandong officials knew of risks after heavy rains struck the area in past days.

''Especially in areas along rivers and lakes and low-lying areas where water easily accumulates and leaks, we must set preventative measures,'' the report cited the bureau deputy chief Zhang Xuechang as saying.

The meeting focused on 18 mines across Shandong that faced serious threats from flooding, and it singled out the Xinwen area where the miners became trapped as one that deserved special attention.

REUTERS SW BST1312