Hopes fade for 102 trapped miners

An official said chances of survival were slim

Hopes are fading for 102 miners who have been trapped in a flooded mine in southern China since Sunday.

As water levels continue to rise, an official admitted their chances of survival were slim, state media said.

Four of the miners managed to escape from the Daxing Colliery in Xingning City, in south-eastern Guangdong Province, after the accident.

In neighbouring Guizhou province, an explosion at a mine has killed 14, Xinhua news agency reports.

Two workers are still missing following an underground blast at the Wanzi coal mine in Liupanshui city at around 0300 local time (1900 GMT Sunday).

Poor safety standards

At Daxing Colliery, rescue teams were reportedly using pumps to try to draw water out of the mine.

A vice-mayor of nearby Meizhou city was quoted by Xinhua as saying that water levels in the mine were rising at a rate of 50cm (20 inches) an hour.

"The chances of the trapped workers surviving are relatively small," he said.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the accident, and all other coal mines in the area have been ordered to suspend operations for safety checks, Xinhua reported.

Chinese mines are extremely dangerous, and accidents frequent because of poor safety standards and equipment.

Xinhua news agency recently reported that about 2,700 workers have been killed in mining incidents in the first half of this year alone.

Correspondents say increasing demand for energy has put pressure on mines in China to provide coal faster.

The Chinese government has recently pledged to take greater steps to improve mine safety.