QITAIHE, Heilongjiang - Rescuers said Friday that three miners who have been trapped in a flooded coal mine in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province for more than 10 days have little chance for survival, although search operations will continue.

The Hengtai Coal Mine became flooded around noon on August 23 when miners mistakenly drilled into a neighboring flooded mine. Twenty-six miners were trapped by the floodwaters, while 19 managed to escape. To date, 22 have been rescued and the body of a deceased miner has been retrieved.

Although the locations of the three miners have been determined, large amounts of water and silt have hampered search and rescue operations, rescuers said.

"They have limited room for survival," a spokesman with the rescue headquarters said.

Rescuers are continuing to pump water out of the shaft, hoping to find the trapped miners.

The mine, located in Boli County in the city of Qitaihe, is one of many that have been operating illegally in recent years, despite the government's efforts to shut down small, outdated mines.

The provincial government previously ordered the mine to stop production in 2007. However, the owner restarted production without permission on August 16, according to the local work safety bureau.