HUNAN

Over 10 trapped in flooded coal mine

More than 10 people have been trapped after a coal mine flooded in Hunan province on Sunday, local authorities said. The accident took place at noon in a coal mine in Daozi township, Leiyang. The Ministry of Emergency Management sent an expert team to the site. The local government has mobilized nearly 100 people and deployed four water pumps for the rescue effort.

HUBEI

Endangered sturgeon released into Yangtze

A total of 150 critically endangered Chinese sturgeon were released into the Yangtze River in Hubei province on Saturday. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the China Three Gorges Corporation, which jointly initiated the release, said the captive-bred sturgeon included many males close to sexual maturity, which will help restock their wild population in Asia's longest waterway. The population of the flagship species in the Yangtze plummeted in the late 20th century due to intrusive human activities.

HENAN

Ancient aristocrat's tomb found in Luoyang

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb dating back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) at the Xuyang Cemetery in Luoyang, Henan province. It is thought to be the tomb of a member of the nobility or royalty of the Luhun Rong people, an ethnic group that migrated from the northwest. Bronze bells and chimes and jade ornaments and thumb rings were found in the well-preserved tomb, said Wu Yeheng, who is in charge of the excavation.

HAINAN

South China Sea cruises set to resume

Cruise routes to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea will resume next month following an 11-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hainan Provincial Department of Transportation said. Two cruise ships, the Nanhai Dream and the Changle Gongzhu, are scheduled to resume operation on Dec 9 and 10, respectively. The tour will last four days and three nights. Tourists will depart from Sanya, Hainan.

Xinhua