By Xinhua,
Baise (China) : Rescuers Tuesday fished out six bodies from a south China mine where 36 miners were trapped by flooding, authorities said.
Rescue teams, which spotted the six bodies in the shaft of the Nadu mine in Guangxi region where flooding occurred Monday afternoon, were searching for possible survivors.
Guo Shengkun, who is leading the rescue operation, said 56 miners were working underground when the mine was flooded.
Seven workers managed to escape while rescuers moved 13 to safety in an overnight operation. The injured workers have been sent to hospital for treatment.
“They were trapped in a place, some 2,000 metres from the entrance. The lack of oxygen in the mining tunnel would make it difficult for the exhausted miners to get out all by themselves,” a rescuer said.
The mine has an estimated coal reserve of 2.98 million tonnes. The Youjiang Mining Bureau in Baise owns the mine, which began its operation in 2003.