All the seven miners trapped underground after a coal mine was flooded 10 days ago in east China's Jiangxi province were confirmed dead, local authorities said Saturday.
The accident occurred at around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 at the Hutangchong Coal Mine in Shangli County, when eight miners were working underground. Only one escaped.
Rescuers recovered two bodies two days after the accident, and the bodies of the other five miners were retrieved in the following days, a spokesman with the county government said Saturday.
The last two bodies were found Thursday night, he said.
Local authorities are handling compensation issues and further investigating the cause of the accident, he added.
All the seven miners were from Shangli's Dongyuan Town, where the mine is located. The mine has an annual output capacity of less than 30,000 tonnes, and was being renovated and enlarged.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2009)
