Beijing - Rescuers were searching for about 20 miners trapped underground early Sunday after a flood at a coal mine in the central province of Henan, state media said.

More than 50 miners were working when the shaft flooded at the Fushun Coal Mine in Henan's Yuzhou city, but about 30 had managed to escape, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Accidents kill an estimated 10,000 people annually in Chinese mines. The accidents are often triggered by outdated equipment and poor safety measures, with many occurring at illegal mines. (dpa)