A total of 48 miners were working underground when the Sigou coal mine in Shisi township, Xin'an county, was flooded at 11:40 pm (1540 GMT) Friday, Xinhua said, noting that only six miners had managed to escape.

Rescue teams were at the scene, the report said.

The news came as the death toll from the Sunday explosion at the Dongfeng coal mine near Qitaihe city in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province rose to 169.

Two senior mine officials at the state-run Dongfeng mine were detained this week after the national work safety watchdog angrily rebuked mine management for ignoring vital danger signs in the week leading up to the deadly blast.

China's mines, many of them illegal, are considered the most dangerous in the world, especially in recent years with demand for raw materials escalating to help fuel China's rapid economic growth.

More than 6,000 miners died in accidents in China last year, according to previously released government figures. Independent estimates say the real figure could be as high as 20,000.

Relatives of mine tragedy victims often accuse management of having little regard for safety standards and systematically exploiting the workers.

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