XINING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- More than 900 rescuers are racing against time to search for 19 workers trapped in a coal mine flooded by mud at an altitude of more than 3,700 meters above sea level in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The accident happened on Saturday at noon when there were 21 people working in the mine located in Gangca County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, said the provincial emergency management department.

Two miners made it to the surface, including one who was confirmed dead, while the rest remain trapped, the department said.

"I ran wildly toward the exit as soon as I heard a loud noise," said the survivor Ma Wenfu with his hands still shaking.

He told rescuers that they were cleaning silt in the mine. His position was the nearest to the exit. He ran for about 200 meters to flee from the mudflow.

"When I looked back, the mine shaft was blocked by the sludge," he said.

At the mine about 65 km away from the county seat of Gangca, various rescue forces are dredging, pumping out water and improving ventilation in the mine shaft.

"We have brought all necessary equipment for the emergency rescue," said Ma Juntai, deputy head of Qinghai subsidiary of the national mine emergency rescue team.

According to the rescuers, the water level in the mine surged one meter after the mudslide.

Yao Jingdong, vice president of the Qinghai coal mine design institute, who has been with the rescue operation, explained the rescue plan that they have entails drilling a hole toward the mine and grouting it with cement and sodium silicate in order to build a stable cemented body at the top of the mineshaft so that the rescue work can be safely carried out.

"I have been working continuously for a day and a night. But everybody here wants to work faster, as every second matters for the chance of survival of the trapped workers," said Ma Chenglong, a rescuer from a neighboring coal mine. Enditem

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