123 miners trapped in Chinese mine

At least 123 miners are now known to have been trapped deep underground in a flooded shaft in south China, not 102 as first reported, and they have little chance of survival, official media reported late yesterday.

"An additional 21 miners were added to the missing list announced on Monday after the mine counted the number of miners working underground today," Xinhua news agency quoted a senior official in charge of rescue operations as saying.

"Currently, they are still trapped about 480 metres underground," said You Ningfeng, vice governor of Guangdong province. "The chance of survival for the trapped miners is slim after being stranded for more than 55 hours," he added.

Despite the pessimism, Xinhua quoted Guangdong governor Huang Huahua as pledging: "If there is a tiny hope, we will spare no efforts to rescue the trapped miners."

As frantic rescue work continued at the Xingning pit, China's top work safety official was quoted as saying that this latest in a string of mining disasters was a prime example of pit owners flouting safety laws to make money.

The mine was operating without a licence and in violation of local government orders to shut down for inspections after a July flooding at another pit in Xingning, Xinhua said.

The July accident claimed 16 lives.

"This is a typical case in which mine owners make money, miners lose their lives and the government pays the bill," Li Yizhong, director of the State Administration for Work Safety, was quoted as saying.