Rescuers at a coal mine in north China have heard signs of life from a flooded shaft where 153 workers have been trapped for five days, state television has reported.
A reporter at the scene said on China's state CCTV news channel that rescuers heard a continuous tapping sound coming up a dredge pipe.
The vast Wangjialing mine in Shanxi province, China's coal-producing heartland, was flooded on Sunday, leaving 153 workers trapped underground.
More than 100 workers were able to escape.
At least 3,000 rescuers have been racing against time to pump water out of the mine and reach the missing, amid fading hopes for their survival.
