Sources from the Henan provincial bureau for supervision of coal mine security said the flooding occurred at the Dongfeng CoalMine in Baiping Township, Dengfeng City, late last Sunday, and only a half of the 42 miners who were working beneath the shaft at the time escaped danger.

After the accident, officials from relevant provincial government departments rushed to the site to organize the rescue operations.

By now, the flooded water in the main corridor has been pumped out. Rescue workers have been busy reinforcing passages to safely rescue the trapped miners beneath the ground.

Dongfeng Coalmine is a township-run mine with a history of over10 years. The mine's legal representative, the leader of the miners, and other administrative personnel fled the site, making it difficult for rescue workers to know the underground situation of the mine.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

In a separate development, rescue workers in Baishui County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, have been working nonstop to save the lives of seven local miners who were trapped in a mine following a water leakage Monday.

According to local police, the water leakage occurred around 10 a.m. Monday when workers of the county-run Fengjiahe Coal Mine in the county's Dayang Village set off explosives for mining on the ground.

A total of 22 miners were working in the mine when the accident took place, but 11 soon escaped.

After the accident, local authorities rushed to the site to organize rescue operations and another four workers were later rescued and hospitalized.

As of Tuesday morning, rescue workers were still searching for the last seven miners and an investigation is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2003)