Five miners rescued from flooded mine in N China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-16 17:30

SHIJIAZHUANG -- Five of the six workers trapped in a flooded iron mine in north China's Hebei Province were rescued Thursday morning, rescuers said.

Their conditions were described as "stable" after being trapped underground for almost 48 hours. Rescuers are continuing to search for the missing miner.

More than 260 workers and 20 experts are helping in the rescue operation.

The flooding occurred early Tuesday at the iron mine in Huzhuangzi Village, Zunhua City, while eight miners were underground. Two managed to escape.

The Zunhua municipal government received a tip-off about the flooding Tuesday afternoon. Zunhua is under the administration of Tangshan City, one of China's major producers of iron and steel.

The iron mine has no production license. Police have detained the mine owner pending their investigation into the cause of the accident.