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| China mine rescuers 'hear people' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Rescue teams attempting to reach 153 miners trapped in a flooded coal pit in China have heard signs of life from inside, state media has reported. | Rescue teams attempting to reach 153 miners trapped in a flooded coal pit in China have heard signs of life from inside, state media has reported. |
| The rescuers heard what sounded like people banging on pipes at the pit in northern Shanxi province colliery, five days after it flooded, CCTV said. | The rescuers heard what sounded like people banging on pipes at the pit in northern Shanxi province colliery, five days after it flooded, CCTV said. |
| More than 100 people managed to escape the flood but the rest were trapped. | More than 100 people managed to escape the flood but the rest were trapped. |
| Earlier this week, officials said lax safety and ignored danger warnings were to blame for the disaster. | Earlier this week, officials said lax safety and ignored danger warnings were to blame for the disaster. |
| A CCTV reporter said the teams had heard "a continuous tapping sound coming up a dredge pipe" at the Wangjialing pit. | A CCTV reporter said the teams had heard "a continuous tapping sound coming up a dredge pipe" at the Wangjialing pit. |
| "Everyone was really excited as it showed that efforts were not in vain," said the reporter. | "Everyone was really excited as it showed that efforts were not in vain," said the reporter. |
| A spokesman at the mine, Wen Changjin, said the sounds had come from an estimated 250m (820ft) below the surface at about 1400 local time (0600 GMT). | |
| Another rescuer told the Associated Press news agency there were unconfirmed reports voices had also been heard. | Another rescuer told the Associated Press news agency there were unconfirmed reports voices had also been heard. |
| CCTV said rescuers were now trying to send food and milk down pipes into the mine. | |
| Thousands of people have been involved in the operation to pump water from the mine, which had been under construction, and reach those trapped. | |
| An explosion in Henan province killed at least 13 miners | |
| CCTV said the water level had fallen by 2.6m since the flood, which officials said had happened when miners had broken through an old shaft filled with water. | |
| Most of those reported to be trapped were migrant workers from Shanxi, Hebei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces, said the Xinhua news agency. | Most of those reported to be trapped were migrant workers from Shanxi, Hebei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces, said the Xinhua news agency. |
| On Wednesday, China's State Administration of Work Safety said the state-run 180-sq-km (70-sq-mile) mine had been overcrowded and managers had ignored reports of water leaking into the tunnels. | On Wednesday, China's State Administration of Work Safety said the state-run 180-sq-km (70-sq-mile) mine had been overcrowded and managers had ignored reports of water leaking into the tunnels. |
| It said the mine's operators had "violated regulations and policies during the work process" and failed to follow the rules for preventing water leaks. | It said the mine's operators had "violated regulations and policies during the work process" and failed to follow the rules for preventing water leaks. |
| The Wangjialing disaster was one of five this week in China's mines, which are considered the most dangerous in the world. | |
| On Wednesday, more than a dozen miners were killed and some 32 trapped by a gas explosion at a pit in Yichuan County in Henan province. | |
| Five people were also reported to have been trapped after a flood at a pit in Heilongjiang province. | |
| According to official figures, 2,631 coal miners died in 1,616 mine accidents in China in 2009, down 18% from the previous year. |