Rescuers in China are trying to reach 42 workers trapped in a flooded mine in the central province of Henan.

The accident at the Sigou coal mine happened at 1540 GMT on Friday, the state safety board said, adding that 34 miners managed to escape.

It comes less than a week after a blast at a mine in the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang killed 169 people.

Accidents remain widespread in China's mines, despite a much-publicised government safety campaign.

Rescuers were still trying to reach the trapped miners in Xin'an county, but it remained unclear if they had survived the flood, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Local officials did not say what triggered the flood.

China has the worst mine safety record in the world.

Chinese officials say some 6,000 miners died last year, but non-government groups say the true figure is far higher.

This year, 3,000 deaths have been reported in the country's mines.

PHOTO CAPTION

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, rescue workers install pipelines for pumping at a coal mine that was flooded in Xin'an County, central China's Henan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005. (AP)

Source: BBC