Only three bodies have been recovered from the flooded Daxing Coal Mine in Xingning City in south China's Guangdong Province, rescuers said on Monday.

The first body was recovered on August 9, two days after the accident. As at August 18, only three bodies had been recovered.

As the rescue operation enters its 16th day, there is little hope of survival for any of the remaining 120 miners.

Emergency draining work had lowered water levels in the mine significantly, but most of the tunnels and equipment inside the mine are likely to have been devastated by the flood.

The accident occurred at about 1:30 PM on August 7 trapping 123 miners.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2005)