Two bodies found in flooded iron ore mine in E China

Xinhua, July 17, 2011

Two bodies were found in a flooded iron core mine in East China's Shandong province as rescue work for 24 trapped mine workers has entered the seventh day on Saturday.

A body of a worker is carried out of a flooded iron core mine while two dozens are still trapped underground in Weifang city, East China's Shandong province, July 16, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

The bodies of the two workers were retrieved at midday Saturday at the mine in the Fangzi district of the city of Weifang, according to the rescuers.

The mine, belonging to Zhengdong Mining Co., was flooded at around 11 pm Sunday when 31 people were working underground.

Seven of them managed to escape while the other 24 were trapped inside, according to the government of Weifang.

By 9 pm Saturday, rescue efforts for the trapped workers were going on but were hampered by huge mount of sludge and unstable water level inside the pit, according to the rescuers.

The workers were conducting maintenance work in the mine when the accident occurred, the mining company said.

An initial investigation found that an open-air stone pit located near the mine became filled with water after several days of heavy rain.

The pit collapsed, sending an estimated 20,000 cubic meters of water into the mine.

The mine received a production permit in February 2009, with mining operations scheduled to begin this October.