BEIJING (AFP) — Chinese authorities are racing to save 13 miners who have been trapped in a flooded coal pit for the past four days, state media reported on Tuesday.
Emergency workers are trying to drain the mine in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang which was flooded on Friday afternoon, Xinhua news agency said.
The workers' condition was unknown. The pit's owner had previously said no miners were trapped, according to Xinhua. The state work safety administration was unavailable for comment.
China's coal mining industry is notoriously unsafe with nearly 3,800 deaths last year -- down 20 percent from a year earlier, according to government figures.
However, many independent labour groups suspect the actual death toll is much higher, saying many accidents are covered up to prevent costly shutdowns and legal action.
Many of the accidents occur at illegally run mines where safety measures are routinely flouted in the quest for higher output of the booming nation's top energy source.
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