At least seven miners were trapped in a flooded colliery in central China's Hunan Province, local authorities told state media Wednesday, in the latest accident to hit the nation's mining industry.
The accident happened late Tuesday in Yide Coal Mine in Xiangtan County of Xiangtan City, a spokesman with the county government told the official Xinhua news agency.
No further details were available and rescue work is underway, the report said.
China's mining industry suffers frequent disasters with floods, explosions and shaft collapses killing thousands of miners each year.
Last year 2,631 Chinese miners were killed, according to official statistics, but independent labour groups say the true figure is likely to be much higher as many accidents are believed to be covered up.
The government has repeatedly vowed to shut dangerous mines and strengthen safety but the accidents continue with regularity as mines rush to pump out the coal on which China relies for about 70 percent of its energy.
In a rare moment of good news for the accident-prone industry, 29 miners were freed from a flooded coal mine in southwest China last month.
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