The small Xinqiao colliery in China’s Guizhou province was flooded on June 17.

Despite the recent rescue, reports indicate that 12 trapped miners are still missing while one body was found on June 25.

According to Reuters, China’s CCTV reported on Sunday the three buried miners saw a flashlight and guided the rescue team to their location by shouting.

The news service reported the miners were in their mid-thirties and had to be administered intravenous drips as they were not strong enough to be taken to hospital immediately.

The miners were reportedly in a stable condition and able to communicate in simple sentences with one of the three able to walk.

The mine is licensed to produce 150,000 tonnes per year, according to Chinese news service Xinhua, and it had violated safety regulations.

Last week Xinhua reported that five Chinese coal miners had died underground from a gas leak on July 4 at the Kangjia coal mine in Hechuan district of the Chongqing municipality.

The Chinese government has imposed new safety regulations this year, which in some cases has led to the closure of small mines and also resulted in China importing record levels of coking coal.