1st LD-Writethru: Death toll rises to 19 in N. China mine flooding

Nineteen people were confirmed dead as of 10 a.m. Wednesday after water from a ground-level reservoir flooded a coal mine in the northern province of Shanxi, according to the work safety regulator.

The rescue team retrieved the 19 bodies and are still trying to rescue two miners trapped underground, State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) spokesperson, Huang Yi, said at a press conference at the State Council Information Office.

A total of 247 people were working in Jiangjiawan Mine in Datong City when the incident occurred at around 6:50 p.m. on Sunday. Two hundred and twenty-three miners made it out safely, while 24 were trapped.

As of Tuesday afternoon, about 6,100 cubic meters of water had been pumped out of the shaft.

The coal mine, owned by Datong Coal Mine Group, has an annual production capacity of 900,000 tonnes.

The group has ordered all its small mines, many of which were previously privately owned, to suspend production for safety checks.

The SAWS was aiming for a "zero-death target" in coal mine work safety, said Huang, adding that 10,500 coal mines -- or 95.4 percent -- had achieved the target last year.

The number of deaths as a result of coal mine accidents dropped 86.7 percent to 931 last year from about 7,000 in 2002 -- when the highest number of coal mine accidents was registered, according to the SAWS. Endi