China mine rescue: Crews race to free trapped workers in Xinjiang

The Chinese national flag is seen on a flagpole in Beijing on August 8, 2016. Most of the five stars on the Chinese flags being used at medal ceremonies at the Rio Olympics are misaligned, officials said, prompting a diplomatic protest and online fury. / AFP PHOTO / STR

Rescue teams are trying to reach 21 people trapped in a coal mine that flooded in China’s Xinjiang region, local media reports say.

It is not clear what triggered the flooding at the Fengyuan mine, but it reportedly occurred during upgrading works on Saturday.

Some 29 miners were initially affected, but rescuers managed to free eight of them.

Crews have located all the trapped the miners, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Twelve were on one platform, eight on a second platform, and the last worker in an escape route, it said.

The flooding is reported to have hampered rescue efforts by cutting power underground and disrupting communication lines. Rescuers have been trying to pump water out of the flooded shaft while simultaneously pumping air into the mine, according to CCTV. Read more. (BBC)

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