Rescuers work under a mine to rescure three workers trapped for over 48 hours in China's Guangxi Zhuang?autonomous region. ?

Rescuers are trying to reach three workers who have been trapped for over 48 hours in a mine following a rain-triggered roof collapse on Saturday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The accident happened at 11 a.m. at an illegal mine in Limu township of Gongcheng county, according to a spokesman with the county's fire prevention bureau, which also serves as the emergency rescue headquarters.

He said on Monday that rescuers could hear the miners, who are trapped about 25 meters into the shaft. "They said their location was ventilated and close to a water source, but they were running out of food," he added.

Rescuers tried to send packs of milk down a newly excavated rescue channel Monday morning, but did not succeed.

The mine was excavated by villagers without the local government's authorization and "It is unclear what minerals it contains," the spokesman said.

The mountainous Gongcheng county, with a population of 282,000, is rich in tantalum, columbium, tungsten, stannum, lead and zinc resources.