22 miners have died and seven are still missing in a flooded coal mine in northeast China's Liaoning Province, the rescue headquarters said on Sunday.

 

Rescue efforts are ongoing in the pit at the Fushun Mining Group, a state-owned company in Fushun, a major industrial city east of the provincial capital Shenyang, said sources with the provincial safety watchdog.

 

The recovery work is expected to last two to three more days because the rescuers have to clear away the debris of the collapsed shafts in the flooding.

 

The miners were working on platform No. 73003 of the Laohutai Mine when it was submerged at 8:44 PM on Saturday.

 

"The flood was followed by a gas leak and the platform was blacked out after the gas density hit 1.76 percent," said Wang Liancheng, a manager of the mine.

 

Rescuers restored the ventilation system on Sunday noon, which brought the gas density below the danger level, set at 1.5 percent, he said.

 

Ten teams, involving 120 people, are on the most recent rescue mission that started at 9:30 last night.

 

Wang added that there are still risks of further flooding, gas leaks, or a ceiling collapse.

 

Fushun Mining Group has dispatched more than 300 employees and 60 medical staff to inform and counsel the victims' families. A doctor, a nurse, and at least one car are standing by at each household in case of emergency, said Wang.

 

All of the 29 miners signed contracts with the coal mine which provide cars to transport relatives from other parts of the country in case of emergency, said Wang Jinyue, party secretary of the coal mine.

 

The General Hospital of Fushun Mining Group and Laohutai Hospital are ready to provide first aid to survivors.

 

The Fushun branch of China National Petroleum Corporation, the country's largest producer and supplier of crude oil and natural gas, donated two million yuan (US$258,398) to help the rescue efforts.

 

The ill fated mine has been closed since the accident and will undergo a safety overhaul before reopening.

 

Laohutai, which translates into "tiger's platform," is a 100 year old mine with 160 million tons of remaining coal reserves. It employs 7,200 people and produces 3.35 million tons a year.

 

It is also one of the country's 45 most dangerous coal mines because of the high risk of flooding, fire, and gas leaks.

 

Coal mine accidents killed 357 people in China in the first two months of this year, according to the State Administration of Work Safety.

 

4,746 people died in 2,845 coal mine accidents last year, an average of 13 deaths a day.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2007)