2011-07-18 21:37

JINAN - Six mining company officials have been detained after flooding in east Shandong province that left two miners dead and 22 others still trapped, local rescue authorities said Monday.

The iron ore mine, belonging to Zhengdong Mining Co. in Fangzi District in the city of Weifang, was flooded at around 11 pm on July 10 when 31 people were working underground. Seven of them managed to escape while the remaining miners were trapped inside.

Wang Baochen, the company's legal representative, and five other company officials, have been apprehended by police on criminal charges, the rescue headquarters said in a statement.

Two of the trapped workers were found dead late last week, and rescuers are still trying to reach the other 22.

Their chances of survival are slim eight days after the flooding, as rescue efforts have been hampered by the huge amount of sludge and the changing water level inside the pit, rescuers said.

The miners were conducting maintenance work when the accident occurred.

An initial investigation showed that an open-air stone pit located near the mine, which has an annual designed production capacity of 100,000 tonnes, was flooded after several days of heavy rain.

The Shandong provincial government has set up an investigation team to further probe the cause of the accident.