The bodies of four miners who were trapped in a flooded coal mine on Saturday night in north China's Shanxi Province have been recovered, local government announced on Thursday.

The bodies were found at 4:21 AM today an official with the Liulin County government said. Rescuers continue to search for two other missing miners.

The flooding in the Caojiashan Coal Mine, Liulin County, occurred at around 9:30 PM Saturday when 47 miners were working underground. Forty-one of them escaped but six others were trapped, according to the Liulin County government.

Currently, rescuers are pumping floodwater out of the shaft using four pumps. They say the amount of water involved is larger than the estimated 2,000 cubic meters. Initial investigations indicate the floodwater may have come from a 'mined-out' area.

The Caojiashan Coal Mine, a village-run operation, produces 60,000 tons of coal a year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2005)