Miners told official news agency Xinhua that the mine showed signs of flooding six days before the fatal accident, but management ordered them to keep mining.

One miner told Xinhua on the day of the accident a team leader was slapped in the face by management when he insisted mining should stop because it was too dangerous.

Rescuers are continuing efforts to save the 57 trapped miners in the flooded mine in Zuoyun, in north China's Shanxi Province, but have little hope of finding survivors one week after the accident.

The water level beneath the shaft is falling since high-power pumps from major mines nearby have been mobilised to speed up the process.

State Administration of Work Safety director Li Yizhong said excessive production was to blame for the accident.

The coal mine had a licence to produce 90,000 tons a year, but produced 130,000 tons from March 2 to May 18.

Zuoyun County has ordered the suspension of coal production at all the local collieries for safety inspections following the flooding, Xinhua said.