At least five miners are alive in a flooded mine near Baotou, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as rescuers try to locate 24 of the trapped miners, according to rescue headquarters.

"We have made contact with the five through a ventilation pipe, and we believe they are squatting above a headframe structure at the end of a 150-meter long tunnel," rescuers said.

Rescuers are digging out silt with spades. Water pumps have been trucked in from Shanxi Province and are being installed to pump out the silt.

Qu Laiyun, deputy head of the Inner Mongolia Coal Safety Supervision Bureau, said rescue work is proceeding but is difficult.

Six of the 35 miners trapped in a mine near Baotou were freed Thursday. They are in satisfactory condition and are recovering in Baotou Central Hospital.

The flood occurred in the early hours of 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.

After the accident, all mines in Baotou were ordered to suspend operations until "they are proved legal and safe after a thorough safety examination".

Police are keeping Cao Shihu, legal representative of Chaoyue Mining Co. Ltd of Baotou City, which owns Haolaigou Iron Ore Mine, under surveillance.

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

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)