Eight miners who were trapped in a flooded colliery pit in southwest China's Guizhou Province for nearly two days were found dead Tuesday, a work safety official said.

The accident occurred at about 7 p.m. Sunday, when 45 miners were working underground in the Xiao'aozi Coal Mine in the city of Liupanshui in Guizhou's Panxian County . Thirty-seven of the miners scrambled to safety, but eight failed to get out.

Rescuers found two bodies on Tuesday morning and retrieved the remaining six on Tuesday afternoon, said Cai Jun, head of the work safety administration in Liupanshui.

Several nearby mines have also filled with water, according to an initial investigation. A subsequent investigation into the cause of the flooding is still under way.

The mine, located about 330 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Guiyang, produces 150,000 tons of coal annually and was operating legally.