Police took the two owners of Baoxin Coal Mine in Heilongjiang province into custody on Friday, a day after an explosion at the facility trapped the 10 miners, Associated Press reported.

In January 2003 an explosion at the same mine killed 34 people.

Xinhua reported that rescue efforts to free the miners were being hampered by heavy flooding in the mine triggered by the explosion.

In the southwestern province of Sichuan, 13 people have been confirmed dead and seven injured at a coal mine, the news agency said.

Last year, 3300 coal mine blasts, floods and other accidents killed nearly 6000 people, according to official figures.