When water flooded the licensed Dahao Coal Mine in Guizhou province on Saturday, 39 miners were underground.
Twenty-six miners reached the surface just before the flood, leaving 13 trapped.
Rescue work is now underway, with six water pumps working at full speed to draw water out of the well. Two 22 kilowatt pumps have been brought on site and the water level has been dropping steadily.
Guizhou Province vice-governor Zhang Qunshan arrived at the scene and was commanding the rescue operation, China Daily reported.
In related news, a mine fire reportedly killed one miner and trapped 14 others yesterday at Jinyuan coalmine in China's northernmost Heilongjiang Province. According to reports 31 coal miners working underground when the fire started suddenly.
Sixteen coal miners were rescued while the search for the other 14 trapped miners continued.
