Rescuers said Thursday they had recovered two bodies from a flooded coal mine in east China, but five people are still missing.

Rescuers recovered the bodies from the coal mine Thursday morning.

The accident occurred at around 11:30 PM Tuesday at Hutangchong Coal Mine in Shangli County, Jiangxi Province, when eight miners were working underground. Only one escaped.

Rescue work is continuing but the chance of survival for the trapped workers was slim, rescuers said late Wednesday.

All the seven miners are from Shangli's Dongyuan Town, where the mine is. The mine has an annual production capacity of less than 30,000 tonnes, and was being renovated and enlarged.

Provincial coal mine safety officials are investigating the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2009)