Chinese rescuers free six miners from flooded shaft

Rescue workers today freed six miners trapped in a flooded shaft in northern China and were in contact with five others, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The brief report gave no word on the fate of 24 other miners still unaccounted for following yesterday’s accident at the Haolaigou iron mine near the city of Baotou in the sprawling Inner Mongolia region.

Xinhua said the six rescued were taken to hospital and appeared to be in good health.

It said they had sheltered on a mining platform that had stayed dry after the flood.

Xinhua said the miners exited through a slanting shaft dug by the rescuers.

The other five were sheltering inside the shaft’s support structure, it said.

The report did not say what caused the flood, which occurred as miners were changing shifts.

Eleven other miners fled above ground ahead of the rising waters.

Most mine floods occur when miners break through into underground rivers or abandoned shafts that have filled with water.

Such mishaps are usually deadly.