Thirty-six miners trapped underground for four days in a flooded coalmine in southwest China's Guizhou Province remain missing, and local authorities are stepping up rescue efforts.

The water level in the shaft was still slowly rising on Wednesday, though 12 pumps had been working to drain the mine, said experts who arrived to direct rescue work.

With six additional pumps put to use that night, experts said that the water can be contained, and once another two high-power pumps are added on Thursday night the water level can be expected to drop drastically.

"There is still a hope for trapped miners to survive if they have self-preservation skills and there is enough air in the flooded shaft," noted a rescue worker.

The accident occurred around 12:30 PM on Sunday when 80 miners were working underground in Tianchi Colliery, located in Xujiaba Town of Sinan County. The cause is still under investigation.

Families of the 166 miners who died in another coal mine accident on November 28 -- a blast at Chenjiashan in Shaanxi Province -- have received financial compensation.

The municipal mining administration told Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday morning that all of the families have signed agreements on compensation with the provincial government. A water flooding operation, which started on December 3, is continuing to prevent further explosions and pave way for further recovery of the victims' bodies.

With the agreement of the families, the bodies of 35 dead miners already recovered have all been buried, the administration said.

There were 293 miners working underground at 7:20 AM on November 28 when a gas explosion occurred 8,000 meters from the tunnel entrance. A total of 127 miners were rescued.

The Chenjiashan Coalmine is a state-owned venture under the jurisdiction of the Tongchuan Mining Administration. It has more than 3,400 employees and produces 2.3 million tons of coal a year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2004)