A flood that engulfed a small coal mine in eastern China's Jiangxi province early Sunday left at least 10 miners trapped underground as mining officials scrambled to verify the numbers missing, Xinhua news agency said.

Following preliminary investigations more miners may be trapped in the mine shaft, the report, citing officials, said.

In a separate accident in the northern province of Shaanxi, rescuers were trying to locate nine miners who went missing when the mine shaft flooded on Friday, Xinhua said in a separate report.

Workers at the privately-owned Yaotou mine were trying to pump the water from the shaft as hopes remained high that the miners may be found alive, it said.

China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, as safety standards are ignored in the quest for profits and to meet the nation's booming energy demands.

More than 4,700 coal miners died in China last year, according to official figures. But independent labour groups say many accidents are covered up and the real death toll is closer to 20,000 annually.

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