A coal mine flood left 56 people trapped on Monday afternoon in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the regional work safety watchdog said.

The flood occurred at around 4:30 PM at the Nadu mine in Tiandong County, according to the Guangxi Work Safety Administration.

Rescuers have so far failed to contact the miners underground.

Zhao Tiechui, the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety director, was flying to the site to oversee the rescue efforts.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2008)