Beijing  - Rescuers were searching on Sunday for about 13 miners trapped underground after a coal shaft flooded in the central Chinese province of Hunan, state media reported.

Water flooded into the mine in Hunan's Changning city from around 5 pm on Saturday, the semi-official China News Service quoted local officials as saying.

Police were looking for the mine owners, who failed to report the accident and fled the scene, making it more difficult to establish the exact number of people trapped underground, the agency said.

Accidents kill an estimated 10,000 people annually in Chinese mines. The accidents are often triggered by outdated equipment and poor safety measures with many occurring at illegal mines.

In the biggest recent accident, a gas explosion killed at least 74 miners and injured more than 100 at a coal mine in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi in late February. (dpa)