2 dead, 13 others trapped in northeast China coal mine flood

(courtesy CCTV/Photo grabbed from China Central Television video)
(courtesy CCTV/Photo grabbed from China Central Television video)

Two miners were confirmed dead Wednesday while 13 others were still trapped after a coal mine in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province was flooded on Monday.

Mud have filled the coal mine, and some lanes were blocked.

Rescue work is still going on at present. Rescuers are now straining themselves in opening up two 110-meter-long rescue passages leading to the flooded site.

The flood inundated the Xuxiang Colliery in Hegang’s Xing’an District at around 17:00 on Monday.

Hegang is a major coal producer. Xuxiang Colliery is privately owned, with an annual output of 150,000 tonnes. (Courtesy China Central Television)