Flooding in a coal mine in central China's Hunan province has killed 20 miners, local media reported Monday.
The miners were killed when the mine, which was located near a reservoir, was flooded with more than 100,000 tons of water after the mine walls collapsed, the sina.com website said.
Four other miners who were working inside the mine at the time managed to escape.
The owner of the mine, Liu Maokui, has been detained for investigation.
The mine did not have a production permit, and collapsed from being over-mined. The flooding occurred after workers had dug through a wall, the report said.
The Houjiachong mine was located in Luojia village, Wentang township in Xinhua county.
China is the world's biggest coal producer and consumer, and independent analysts estimate mine deaths top 10,000 annually.
The government has launched a campaign to shut thousands of coal mines, especially small and dangerous ones, to avoid overproduction, falling prices, and to improve the industry's safety record.
But many of the mines simply reopen after closure because the owners refuse to give up a chance to earn money and the lack of monitoring means the mines often can operate illegally -- BEIJING (AFP)
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