BEIJING, April 7 (UPI) -- Chinese rescuers struggled Wednesday to reach the last of the miners trapped in the lowest levels of a flooded coal mine for 11 days, officials said.
The final phase of the operation comes in the wake of a massive rescue effort that helped pull out alive 115 of the 153 miners initially trapped in the Wangjialing coal mine in northern Shanxi province. The mine, which was still under construction, flooded March 28 amid reports prior warnings about water leaking into the pit were ignored.
The latest reports by official Chinese media said 31 miners remained trapped in the lowest levels of the pit at depths of nearly 2,000 feet. The remaining seven miners reportedly died in the catastrophe.
The bodies of five of the seven were found Monday night, China Daily reported. The deaths of the other two were reported subsequently.
However, the reports said the names of the survivors and those who died were yet to be confirmed by authorities.
The search for those still trapped in the mine was suspended temporarily Tuesday due to the presence of explosive gas in the pit, China Daily reported.
Most of the 115 miners rescued were reported in stable physical condition. Of the others, 26 were in serious condition, the report said.
The report quoted work safety officials as saying there had been violations of safety rules during the construction of the mine.
