2010-03-29 13:30

XIANGNING, Shanxi: Water stopped rising Monday morning in the flooded coal mine in Shanxi Province, where 153 workers are believed to be trapped, the rescue headquarters said.

Survival chances of the trapped workers were looking better as a consequence, according to the rescue headquarters.

More than ten pumps were pumping up to 125 cubic meters of water per hour and operating round-the-clock at the site. Workers were trying to get huge pipes as long as 2,000 meters into the flood water and maintain ventilation at the same time.

Investigations showed that 261 workers were in the pit of Wangjialing Coal Mine, under construction, when underground water gushed in at about 1:40 pm Sunday.

Of them, 108 were lifted safely to the ground while 153 others were trapped in the shaft, according to the rescue headquarters.

Initial investigations showed most of the trapped were migrant workers from Shanxi, Hebei, and Guizhou provinces.

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered local authorities to spare no effort to save the trapped while guarding against secondary accidents.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang reached the site of the accident early Monday to oversee the search and rescue operation.

The mine, sitting astride Xiangning County of Linfen City and Hejin City of Yuncheng City, covers about 180 square kilometers.

The mining zone is estimated to have more than 2.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves, including nearly 1.04 billion tonnes of proven reserves, according to the company's official website.

The mine, affiliated with the state-owned Huajin Coking Coal Co. Ltd., is a major project approved by the provincial government. It is currently under construction and is expected to produce 6 million tonnes of coal annually once in operation.