BEIJING, November 17 (RIA Novosti) - Thirty-four workers are trapped in a coal mine in central China's Henan province that flooded on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the local industrial safety authority, 42 miners were working underground at the time of the accident. Eight miners managed to escape, and 34 are still trapped.
China's mining industry is considered one of the world's most dangerous, with accidents killing up to 7,000 workers annually. A major gas blast at Liaoning's Sunjiawan mine in February 2005 killed more than 200 miners, making it the worst mining tragedy in China for at least 15 years.
Authorities in the Henan province earlier ruled to fire mayors of cities and towns in the event of a major mining accident, claiming over 50 lives, or two accidents killing 30-49 people each.
