Five people were trapped underground after a coal mine was flooded Thursday afternoon in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, the provincial coal mine work safety authorities said Friday morning.

The accident happened at around 5:00 p.m. Thursday at Longpeng Coal Mine in Qitaihe City, when 13 miners were working underground. Eight of them escaped unharmed, and the remaining five are still trapped underground.

Rescue work is under way.