Six workers are missing after a coal mine flooded in southwest China's Sichuan Province early Wednesday, the local work safety authority said.

The flooding happened at around 3 a.m. at Manao Coal Mine in Changning County of Yibin City, the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration said in a press release.

It said 21 miners were in the pit, 13 of whom were evacuated immediately and two were rescued by dawn.

Rescuers were still searching for the missing workers as of noon.

Manao Coal Mine is a small, village-run colliery with a designed annual output of 30,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2009)