Flooded coal mine in Zaozhuang city, east China's Shandong province, has trapped 37 miners rather than the 26 in the original tally, according to the rescue team, whose headquarters confirmed the new count at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday.
The rescue operation was still going on, and two miners have been saved, 11 were found dead and the conditions of the 24 others remained unknown.
The accident occurred in the Mushi Coal Mine, about 10:15 p.m. Saturday.
An official with the Shandong Provincial Coal Mine Production Safety Bureau noted that the disaster was caused by the water seeped out of a surface pool leaking into the coalmine.
Most parts of Shandong province have experienced heavy, continuous rainfall lately, menacing a few local coalmines with the risk of flooding.
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2003)
