Flood traps 153 coal miners in northern China

Rescuers raced Monday to free 153 miners trapped by a flood that may have started when workers digging a new mine in north China accidentally broke into a network of old, water-filled shafts.

The derelict tunnels are posing new risks to miners even as China ramps up safety in its notoriously hazardous mines.

Rescuers raced to pump water from the Wangjialing coal mine in north China's Shanxi province that started flooding Sunday afternoon, work safety officials said. The state-owned mine about 400 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of Beijing was under construction and had been scheduled to start production later this year, the China Daily newspaper …