9 miners rescued from flooded colliery in SW China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-20 17:31

GUIYANG -- Rescuers had pulled nine survivors out of a flooded coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou province as of 3 p.m. Friday, a local coal mine safety official said.

One person remaims missing.

The nine miners had been sent to the hospital. They appeared weak but in stable condition, said Chen Kaiming, head of the Shuicheng branch of the provincial coal mine safety supervision administration.

However, an unnamed official with the provincial work safety watchdog said earlier in the day, six people were killed and four others were missing in the accident. The statement was made prematurely without all the facts.

The flood happened at about 7:30 a.m. Friday in the Lianfa Coal Mine in Qinglong County, Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. There were 23 miners working in the shaft at the time.

Thirteen managed to escape but ten others were trapped.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.