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All 16 miners trapped underground after a coal mine in north China's Hebei Province was flooded 24 days ago were confirmed dead Wednesday.
Rescue work started immediately after the accident which was caused by torrential rains on June 24. Experts with the rescue team concluded Wednesday that there were no survivors.
The rescue team managed to drill a ventilating hole in less than 36 hours after the accident to provide oxygen, food and drinks to the underground. However, there were no signals from the trapped men.
Rescuers have kept making further efforts since then. They dug two tunnels from different directions to the pit in a hope to reach victims as soon as possible. But the process was often hampered by frequent landslides.
The rescue team said Wednesday the bodies of victims cannot yet be recovered because of accumulated poisonous gases and severe landslides in the pit.
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2002)
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