Initial investigations have reportedly shown that the blast yesterday in Hunan province’s Xiangzhong coal mine was triggered as workers engaged in underground drilling.

Official state media outlet Xinhua said 39 other workers managed to escape the early morning explosion and juxtaposed the disaster with the simultaneous rescue of miners in a flooded coal shaft also in Hunan province.

So far, eight of the 11 miners confirmed alive in the flooded Qielichong mine have been lifted to safety and rushed to hospital.

Xinhua said six rescue teams of 90 members and more than 1000 people were at the scene to assist but the fate of the survivors who have not yet surfaced remained unclear.

The flood which trapped 16 miners occurred at 6pm Wednesday local time but was not reported to the government until Thursday morning, delaying rescue operations by almost 12 hours.

No details about the legality or management of the mine have been provided yet by the state but the mine owner, Liu Yaping, has been taken into police custody.

Further investigation into the exact causes of the inundation at Qielichong and the gas outburst at Xiangzhong are underway.