Three dead, 11 trapped in flooded mine in NE China

Eleven miners remain trapped underground at a flooded coal mine in Qitaihe city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, with rescue work continuing.

Three miners were confirmed dead in the accident early on Tuesday.

The bodies of the three, Dong Zhanjiang, Wang Jifeng and Gao Chuanjun, were recovered at about 1 am on Tuesday after a 48-hour rescue attempt.

The Furuixiang Coal Mine flooded at about 11:40 pm on Saturday as 22 miners were working underground. Six managed to escape.

After 10 hours, rescuers reached two miners, Wen Hongfu and Wang Yaquan, who are slightly injured and being treated at Qitaihe City People's Hospital. They are in stable condition and can leave within 10 days, their doctor told China Daily.

As of Tuesday evening, six water aspirators capable of draining 555 metric tons of water an hour were being used to pump water from the mine. "But rescuers cannot predict when the water will be drained," said Li Shuguang, an official in charge of emergency response with the city's work safety bureau.

Rescuers are drilling down from a position about 285 meters underground to try to reach those trapped and once they have broken through oxygen, food and water can be sent to the miners.

Relatives of those trapped are anxiously awaiting news.

The mother of Bao Qingbo, 36, and his brother Bao Qingfeng, 33, said: "My two sons are still underground in the mine. They left home on Saturday and I thought they would come back the next day as usual. But at 6 am the next morning, my neighbour told me about the flood.

"We believe they are still alive and will wait for them at home."