Rescuers said there was only a slim chance that 13 trapped miners could have survived last Friday's coal mine flood in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, since six days after the accident, they were still unable to reach the victims.

The flood, which took place at 2:00 AM on May 30 at the privately-run Hengda Coal Mine in Jidong County, Jixi City, flooded the pit and seriously damaged underground facilities. Powerful pumps were at work, but rescuers saw little chance for the workers to survive until the pit was drained.

The owner and operator of the mine were under investigation by the local public security bureau, said a spokesman with the Jixi work safety bureau.

He said the miners had been told to dig coal even though the mine had been ordered shut by safety authorities for a major overhaul. After the pit flooded, the owner attempted to downplay the situation, saying that no one was trapped.

Work safety authorities were later tipped off that some miners were trapped, but due to the delay, rescue work did not start until 14 hours after the accident.

The mine had an annual output of 30,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2008)