The bodies of four miners who were trapped in a flooded coal
mine on Saturday night in north China's Shanxi Province have been recovered, local
government announced on Thursday.
The bodies were found at 4:21 AM today an official with the
Liulin County government said. Rescuers continue to search for two
other missing miners.
The flooding in the Caojiashan Coal Mine, Liulin County,
occurred at around 9:30 PM Saturday when 47 miners were working
underground. Forty-one of them escaped but six others were trapped,
according to the Liulin County government.
Currently, rescuers are pumping floodwater out of the shaft
using four pumps. They say the amount of water involved is larger
than the estimated 2,000 cubic meters. Initial investigations
indicate the floodwater may have come from a 'mined-out' area.
The Caojiashan Coal Mine, a village-run operation, produces
60,000 tons of coal a year.
(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)