A flood in a coal mine in Shanxi province has trapped more than 120 miners, Reuters reported. Another 138 miners escaped the Wangjialing coal mine near Hejin city after it was inundated with underground water. The mine is affiliated with Huajin Coking Coal, a state-owned coal firm. Beijing has been pushing for the consolidation of coal mines to improve safety, and to ensure more reliable supplies of coal. However, hazardous working conditions remain a major problem in China’s coal mines: In 2009, 2,631 miners were killed in mining accidents, though this was an improvement from the 3,215 killed in 2008.
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