HARBIN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers found two bodies and were searching for 14 missing workers in a flooded coal mine Saturday in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, local authorities said.

    The accident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. when 22 miners were working beneath Jinli coal mine in Jidong County, Jixi City. Six escaped, said Jixi city government.

    About 4,000 cubic meters of water had gushed into the shaft and it will take workers about three days to pump out the water, said Wang Guangyue, vice mayor of Jixi.

    An initial investigation showed that improper operation by workers might be one of the causes of the accident, said Li Yubao, head of the coal industry administration of Jixi.

    The coal mine, owned by a local company known as Tianyuan Company, is a legal undertaking capable of producing 40,000 tonnes of coal a year. It was said to have resumed coal production without a prior approval as required, according to the city government.

    Rescue work and an investigation into the cause of the flood are underway.