Two trapped miners were lifted out of a flooded coal mine in Xiaoyi City of north China's Shanxi province on Friday after being mired for over 39 hours.
The rescued miners were sent to the hospital immediately for treatment, and the rescue efforts remained underway for the other trapped miners.
A total of 21 people were trapped after the coal mine was flooded in the coal mine, said local authorities on Thursday. Four others escaped to safety when the accident occurred, they added.
The accident occurred at around 23:00 Wednesday at a coal mine in Duxigou Village, Xixinzhuang Township. Illegal mining was blamed for the accident, according to a preliminary investigation.
After the accident occurred, more than 400 rescuers were sent to the site to conduct the rescue operation in shifts and medical staff are waiting outside the mine to check the health status once those miners are brought to safety.
The local public security department has put under control seven out of eight suspects involved in the case and is hunting for other suspects involved in the illegal mining.