BEIJING - China's official news agency says a flash flood, triggered by heavy rains, has trapped 172 people in a coal mine in eastern China.
There was no word on how many were believed to be still alive in the mine in the province of Shandong.
The New China News Agency says the flooding occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Friday in the mine run by the Huayuan Mining Co. in Xintai.
It said downpours had hit the area Friday, punching a 50-metre-wide breach in a flood dike on the Wen river. The agency said the water poured into the coal mine through an old shaft.
The directors of China's industrial safety and coal mine safety agencies have rushed to the scene to oversee rescue work.
China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with fatalities reported every day in fires, floods and other disasters.
Many are blamed on managers who disregard safety rules or fail to install required fire-control and other equipment.
