One miner died and 31 others are trapped after a coal mine was flooded in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region early Monday, the rescue headquarters said.

Water gushed into the pit of Luotuoshan Coal Mine, which was being built in Wuhai City, at least 600 kilometers from the regional capital, Hohhot, at 7:29 a.m., according to officials at the rescue operation headquarters.

An initial investigation showed 77 miners were digging tunnels at different depths as part of an infrastructure construction project and 46 were lifted to the ground.

However, a miner died during first-aid treatment at the site.

Rescuers are busy installing three pumps each with a pumping capacity of 280 cubic meters of water per hour and preparing to drill into the shaft to reach 12 miners trapped at about 189 meters underground and 19 at a depth of about 289 meters.

Five ambulances and more than 10 medical staff have arrived at the site.

Zhao Shuanglian, vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, told rescuers they were battling against time to save the trapped miners.

Luotuoshan Coal Mine is owned by Wuhai Energy Co. Ltd. and its parent company is Shenhua Group Corp. Ltd., one of China's major mining firms.

Construction of the mine started in 2006. It is designed to produce 1.5 million tonnes of coal a year.