Jiaxian (China), Nov 18 (Xinhua) Rescuers pulled 32 of the 34 trapped miners out of a flooded coal mine in central China’s Henan province early Tuesday, 23 hours after the accident occurred. One miner died when water from a nearby river flooded the pit and another was still missing.

The rescued miners, all in poor health condition, were immediately rushed to a hospital.

Wang Dexue, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety, said the Gaomendong mine in Jiaxian county was operating illegally. The mine owner Lou Gaofeng has been detained.

“Although the mine’s production licence is valid until November 2009, the mine was undergoing a technical innovation for expansion, and mining was suspended,” said Wang.

Coal is the main fuel in energy hungry China where almost 90 percent of coal mines are owned privately and many of them flout government’s safety measures for increased production. Consequently, mine accidents, and deaths, are numerous in the country.