At the time of writing, rescuers were still working to save the miners after the Henan province mine was flooded on Saturday.

Dow Jones International News reported workers were pumping water out of the Anli mine but had no word on the condition of the miners still inside.

Just last week rescuers recovered the bodies of the 25 miners from an unlicensed coal mine in Anze county in Shanxi province, the official Xinhua news agency said, as reported by Reuters. That tragedy was caused by a gas explosion.

Interfax China Business News reported last week the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS) issued an emergency circular urging local authorities to step up safety monitoring and inspection work in a reaction to the mass of coal mine accidents.

During the period May 13 to May 24, 135 workers have lost their lives with the fate of the 15 Anli workers still unknown.