Rescuers have saved 29 workers from underground floods at a coal mine in China's Sichuan Province.

The survivors are miners and up to eight rescue workers who went in to help them.

They were put into waiting ambulances and whisked away to hospital. It's not yet known if anyone's been injured or to what extent.

Rescue teams began pumping water out of the Batian Coal Mine in Neijing City after the flood water poured in on Sunday.

These miners are the lucky ones. As they came to the surface and sight of daylight three other workers trapped by floods in an iron mine in the south were still awaiting rescue.

China's mines are the deadliest in the world. Their notorious reputation is blamed on lax safety standards and a rush to feed the demands of a robust economy.

More than 2, 600 people have died in coal mine accidents alone last year.