Three men, who had been trapped in a flooded mine in Guizhou Province for 25 days, were rescued on Sunday, the rescue headquarters said.

The miners were found at about 11:28 AM in a flooded shaft of a coal mine in Guizhou Province and immediately lifted to the ground, according to Chen Qing, head of the rescue headquarters.

They managed to survive by drinking water. They appeared very weak but can talk, rescuers said.

The three, Wang Quanjie, Zhao Weixing, both 36, and Wang Kuangwei, 35, are natives of Henan Province in central China.

Doctors were rushing to the mine to determine whether their health conditions will allow any transportation to hospital for further treatment.They are currently being administered an IV drip to restore their energy.

They were not allowed to speak in an effort to save energy.

The Xinqiao Coal Mine in Qinglong County was flooded on June 17 when 16 miners were working underground.

Rescuers found the first body on June 25 and are searching for the 12 missing.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2009)