Fears grow for Chinese miners

Rescuers were pumping water out of a flooded coal mine in central China yesterday as they searched for 42 workers missing following the nation's latest mining disaster.

The mine's owner has allegedly gone into hiding after Friday's flood at the Sigou Coal Mine in Henan province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The owner did not have a safety licence for the mine, Xinhua said. There was no indication whether the missing miners were alive or not.