12 missing after China mine explosion

At least 12 miners were missing Friday after an explosion in central China, as authorities continued their efforts to reach 181 workers trapped in flooded coal shafts for two weeks, state media said.

The blast at the Shunli Coal Mine in Henan province occurred as miners were repairing a coal shaft, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing an initial investigation. Rescuers were struggling to get into the pit after clearing the entrance.

The mine in Pingdingshan city's Baofeng County was operating legally and had been under renovation this year to comply with a government order to improve safety, Xinhua said.

Meanwhile, workers continued pumping water out of two mines in eastern China's Shandong province, where a total of 181 workers have been trapped for two weeks. Officials have said they had not given up hope, even though chances of survival were slim.

If those workers are found dead, it would be among the worst accidents of its kind in 58 years of communist rule, following a 1960 accident that killed 684 and a 2005 explosion in which 214 died.

China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with an average of 13 deaths a day in fires, explosions and floods despite government efforts to improve safety.

Deadly accidents often are blamed on mine owners who disregard safety rules and fail to invest in required ventilation, fire control and other equipment.