KUNMING - Five miners trapped in a flooded coal mine have been rescued in Southwest China's Yunnan province, local authorities said on Friday.

The accident happened at around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, when eight miners were examining a tunnel of the Xiaohebian Coal Mine in Qujing city, according to the Qujing government.

As of 2:30 pm Friday, one worker had been confirmed dead, while fire fighters are still trying to rescue the remaining two, the government said.

The licensed colliery, a gas coal mine, has an annual capacity of 40,000 tonnes according to an initial investigation.

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