At least five miners have been found alive in a flooded mine near Baotou, in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as rescuers try to locate 24 of their trapped comrades, rescue headquarters reported.

"We have made contact with the five through a ventilation pipe, and we believe they are squatting above a headframe structure at the end of a 150-meter long tunnel," rescuers said.

More than 80 rescue workers, including 20 policemen, are taking shifts to dig out silt with spades. Water pumps have been trucked in from neighboring Shanxi province and are being installed to pump out the silt.

Qu Laiyun, deputy head of the Inner Mongolia Coal Safety Supervision Bureau, said rescue work is proceeding but is difficult, as the silt and mud was more than 2.5 meters deep.

Six of the 35 miners trapped in a mine near Baotou were freed Thursday. They are in satisfactory condition and are recovering in Baotou Central Hospital.

The flood occurred early Wednesday morning at Haolaigou Iron Ore Mine in Donghe District, near the city of Baotou, when 46 miners were changing shifts. Only 11 miners escaped, rescue headquarters reported.

After the accident, all mines in Baotou were ordered to suspend operations until "they are proved legal and safe after a thorough safety examination".

Police are keeping Cao Shihu, legal representative of Chaoyue Mining Co Ltd of Baotou City, which owns Haolaigou Iron Ore Mine, under surveillance.

In a separate incident, a coal mine flood near the region's Hulun Buir City on Thursday killed two miners. It was the second mine to flood in the region in three days.

Inner Mongolia reported 124 mining deaths last year.