The death toll from a coal mine flooding in north China's Shanxi Province rose to six after rescuers found bodies of the last two trapped workers Friday, the rescue headquarters said.
By Friday, rescuers have found all the eight trapped miners, including two who escaped the accident occurred at the Leijiagou Coal Mine in Zhongyang County at 6:50 AM on Wednesday, said the headquarters.
When the flooding came, 48 miners were working underground. Forty managed to escape and eight were trapped.
Rescuers found two miners alive underground Thursday afternoon, after they had recovered bodies of four trapped miners.
The two workers showed symptoms of gas poisoning, but were out of danger after medical treatment, the headquarters said.
Initial investigation indicates that miners accidentally dug into a neighboring disused, water-filled coal pit, causing the flooding in the shaft where they were working, according to the headquarters.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2006)
