Flooded coal mine in SW China traps eight

A coal mine in Panxian County, Guizhou Province in southwest China, was flooded on Sunday evening, trapping eight miners. An official at the accident site told China's News Agency "Xinhua" that the accident occurred at about 7 p.m. Sunday, when 45 miners were working under the mine. Thirty-seven of them came out the pit safely while the rest were trapped. Rescuers are currently pumping water out of the well. The water flooded into the pit was estimated at over 1,000 cubic meters. The mine produces 150,000 tons of coal per year, and has all required licenses and certificates for safe production. Investigation into the cause of the accident is currently underway. The flooded mine is around 330 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Guiyang. This accident is the third coal mine accident in Panxian County this year. On March 12, a gas explosion at an illegal coal mine killed 19 workers and left 15 others injured. On March 28, a gas leak at another coal mine killed eight workers and injured three.