Trapped Chinese miner rescued after 3 days

BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters) The first of 69 coal miners in central China trapped underground by flood waters for more than three days walked out of the pit today to be followed shortly by his workmates, Xinhua news agency said.

The miners had been trapped in the Zhijian colliery in Shan county in Henan province since Sunday morning when a flash flood surged through an old shaft.

''Supported by rescuers, the first trapped miner walked out of the pit entrance. The other 68 will gradually come up afterwards,'' Xinhua said in a brief report.

An intact ventilation pipe and a telephone line have been key to the rescue of the miners, who had felt weak and cold, state media said.

Rescuers sent down milk to the miners via a hose installed down through the ventilation pipe, the newspaper said. The miners drank it with their helmets.

More than 500 colleagues have been working around the clock to pump out flood water and remove mud and rocks that blocked a 280-metre passage between where the trapped miners were and the pit entrance, the newspaper said.

There were 102 miners working underground when the accident happened. Thirty-three escaped.

The state-owned mine has a designed annual production capacity of 210,000 tonnes but actually produces 300,000 tonnes a year, Xinhua said.

China's coal mining industry is the deadliest in the world, with a total of 4,746 people killed in thousands of blasts, floods and other accidents in 2006. Soaring demand and profits have driven the mines to push production beyond safety limits.

Reuters AE GC1005