8 taken into custody after colliery flood

WENG'AN, Guizhou province - Eight principals have been taken into police custody for a coal mine flood in southwest China's Guizhou province that has left three miners dead and trapped six others, sources with the rescue headquarters said Sunday.

As of noon on Sunday, rescuers confirmed that three miners were already dead, another three were alive and three others were still missing, the sources said.

Work to rescue the trapped miners is underway, and the water level had dropped by 3 meters as of 8 pm Sunday.

The three that are alive have been contacted and were about 100 meters away from rescuers, who are waiting until the water level goes down to "a certain level" before entering the shaft.

The flood hit Yunda Coal Mine in Weng'an county at around 10 pm on Friday, trapping nine miners underground. Thirty-two others were lifted out to safety.

The coal mine, reported to have an annual output of 90,000 tonnes, has all official licenses required for production.

The licenses have been revoked and all bank accounts of the mine have been frozen, the sources said, adding that the principals will be dealt with according to the results of an investigation that is underway.

Wang Jiangping, deputy governor of Guizhou province, said the government would show "zero tolerance" to those responsible for the accident.

Production at all other coal mines in the prefecture of Qiannan, which administers Weng'an county, has been suspended, pending an overhaul, according to the sources.