Rescuers have been working to save 21 miners who were trapped in the Dengfeng Coal Mine in central Henan province. Meanwhile, in Shaanxi province, seven miners have been trapped due to a water leak, Xinhua News agency said yesterday.

An Associated Press report said on Monday a methane blast in a mine in northern Turkey killed one worker and injured five others. Rescuers were still trying to reach another miner trapped inside.

The incident occurred in a privately owned mine when an explosion caused the ceiling in a shaft to collapse. The mine is located in Turkey's richest coal reserves in the Zonguldak province.

In a separate incident, two miners were killed and one injured in a Ukraine mine late last week. The accident occurred due to flooding into the Artemvuhillya coal company mine, Interfax reported.