Rescuers on Thursday found six of the 35 miners trapped in the flooded iron ore mine near Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The six miners, whose conditions are unknown, were rushed to the nearest hospital, said sources from the on-the-spot rescue operation headquarters.

The miners were found after rescuers dug a tilted tunnel to reach one of the vertical shafts, said the sources.

The flood occurred shortly after 12:00 PM on Wednesday at Haolaigou Iron Ore Mine in Donghe District, near the city of Baotou, when 46 miners were changing shifts. Only 11 miners escaped, according to rescue headquarters.

Chaoyue Mining is a private company set up in 2001. Its mines have a production capacity of 100,000 tons of iron ore a year.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)