CHENGDU - Ten miners had been confirmed dead in a coal mine flooding in Southwest China's Sichuan province, with two others still missing, local authorities said Saturday.

By 5 pm, rescuers had recovered 10 bodies out of the flooded shaft at the the Zengjiagou Coal Mine in the city of Dazhou, and two remained trapped underground, said a spokesman with the provincial work safety bureau.

The flood occurred around 10 am Monday, when 30 miners were working underground. Eighteen of the miners managed to escape.

Rescuers are working to reach the missing, the spokesman said.

A manager in charge of safety had been detained and the owner of the coal mine was under police custody, he said.