THE families of 181 miners trapped after two pits were flooded in eastern China 10 days ago have each received 2,000 yuan (US$260) in “comfort” money from local officials, Xinhua reported.

“This is not a big amount, but it helps in some way to comfort them,” Xinhua quoted the official in charge of the fund in Shandong Province as saying Saturday.

A team of officials paid 2,000 yuan to each bereaved family plus an additional 200 yuan to each individual family member, Xinhua added.

“The trapped miners are the pillar of their families and many families are experiencing financial difficulties in their absence,” said Huang Longhua, a local official in Tai’an City and head of the consolation work team. By Saturday, the team had provided 560,000 yuan to the families.

The consolation team has agreed with local education authorities to subsidize students from the families that are affected. Subsidies range from 1500 yuan to 2500 yuan per child, Huang said.(SD-Agencies)