A township coal mine in southwest China's Guizhou Province was flooded Saturday afternoon, leaving 13 miners missing, according to the provincial safety production watchdog.

The accident took place in the Dahao Coal Mine, in the Fengcheng Township of Tianzhu County at about 1:40 p.m., when 39 miners were working underground, sources with the provincial safety work supervision and administration bureau said.

Twenty-six miners have managed to escape, but the fate of the 13 trapped are still unknown.

The Dahao mine, with an annual production capacity of over 30,000 tons of coal, is a licensed mine.

Officials of local governments and rescue teams have rushed to the site after the accident.

Source: Xinhua