Rescuers have recovered the bodies of all five miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local government official confirmed on Sunday.

Rescue operation completed as the last body was found at the Daping colliery in Kaijiang County at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night and investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, Xing Jianguo, deputy director of the provincial work safety administration told Xinhua. Three bodies were retrieved on Thursday and another was recovered on Friday morning.

The flood occurred at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, trapping five workers working underground. Rescue operation was once hampered as a 20-meter-long mine shaft was blocked with rocks and coal blocks.

The victims were identified and their family members had arrived at the mine to deal with the aftermath, said Xing.

The mine's owner and managers are in police custody. Some 1.2 million yuan (164,000 U.S. dollars) was raised to handle the aftermath.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2008)