BEIJING - RESCUERS saved 33 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine in central China's Henan Province on early Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the accident, state media reported.

The workers were lifted out of the flooded shaft at 6.03 am (same time as Singapore), Xinhua news agency reported. One miner was found dead.

The accident at the Gaomendong Coal Mine near Pingdingshan city happened at about 720 am on Monday.

Forty-two miners were at work at the time of the flooding, and eight managed to escape shortly afterwards, Xinhua said.

It was the third coal mine accident in less than three weeks in Henan, with a total of five miners dying in the two previous accidents, Xinhua said.

China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.

Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures. However, independent monitors say the real figure is likely much higher as many accidents are covered up. -- AFP