Rescuers on Thursday found six of the 35 miners trapped in the
flooded iron ore mine near Baotou, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The six miners, whose conditions are unknown, were rushed to the
nearest hospital, said sources from the on-the-spot rescue
operation headquarters.
The miners were found after rescuers dug a tilted tunnel to
reach one of the vertical shafts, said the sources.
The flood occurred shortly after 12:00 PM on Wednesday at
Haolaigou Iron Ore Mine in Donghe District, near the city of
Baotou, when 46 miners were changing shifts. Only 11 miners
escaped, according to rescue headquarters.
Chaoyue Mining is a private company set up in 2001. Its mines
have a production capacity of 100,000 tons of iron ore a year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)