A team of 200 Chinese police, emergency workers and experts on Sunday were trying to reach 19 coal miners trapped in a flooded mine in the northwestern Qinghai province.
Rescuers have retrieved two workers already from the mine in Gangca county, one of whom has died, state media Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.
The mine was ordered by the province to stop operating and fix safety hazards on August 2, local authorities said in a press conference on Sunday, with work still underway.
A flood in April at a coal mine in the northwestern Xinjiang region left over two dozen miners trapped.
China’s coal mines are among the world’s deadliest, regularly suffering explosions and gas leaks despite repeated safety crackdowns.
