Rescuers carry a miner out of well at Jiangjiawan mine in Datong, north China's Shanxi Province, April 21, 2015. The death toll of the coal mine flood accident has climbed to eight till Tuesday noon, and 13 remained trapped underground. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
Four more miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine in the north province of Shanxi, and despite medical attention one died at hospital, rescuers said Tuesday.
The four miners were extracted Tuesday morning and sent to hospital, a spokesperson with the rescue headquarters told Xinhua.
A rescue team of around 600 had earlier retrieved seven bodies, and efforts continue to rescue the remaining 13 miners trapped underground.
A total of 247 people were working in Jiangjiawan mine in Datong when the accident occurred at around 6:50 p.m. on Sunday. 223 people made it out safely, while 24 were trapped.
Four pumps are extracting water from the shaft. As of Tuesday morning, about 3,840 cubic meters of water had been pumped out.
The coal mine, owned by Datong Coal Mine Group, has an annual production capacity of 900,000 tonnes.
An initial investigation suggests the flooding was caused by water accumulated in a underground area at the colliery.
The Datong Coal Mine Group has ordered all its small mines, many of which were previously privately owned, to suspend production for safety checks.
