Xinhua News Agency reported that a coal mine in Panxian County of Guizhou Province in southwest China was flooded on Sunday evening, trapping eight miners.

An official at the accident site told Xinhua that the accident occurred at about 7 PM on Sunday, when 45 miners were working under the mine. 37 of them came out the pit safely while the rest were trapped.

Rescuers are currently pumping water out of the well. The water flooded into the pit was estimated at over 1,000 cubic meters.

The mine produces 150,000 tonnes of coal per year, and has all required licenses and certificates for safe production.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is currently underway.

The flooded mine is around 330 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Guiyang.

(Sourced from Xinhua)