123 miners trapped in China

AT least 123 people were trapped underground yesterday after water gushed into a coal mine in northern China, a government agency said.

The Wangjialing coal mine in Shanxi province was flooded by underground water as 261 miners were working in the pit, the state administration of work safety said on its website.

The administration said 138 of the miners were lifted safely to the ground but the others remained trapped and rescue work was under way. The cause of the flood was still under investigation.