Russian miner rescued from flooded mine, eight still missing

Moscow: Russian emergency officials say they have rescued a miner trapped by a flood in a Siberian diamond mine and are searching for eight others still missing.

Water surged into the Mir mine in Siberia today while 151 people were down in the pit. Most were quickly evacuated, but nine remained unaccounted for.

Russian Emergencies Ministry says one of those missing was rescued on Saturday and hospitalised. About 300 salvage workers have continued looking for the others.

The cause of the flooding wasn't immediately clear, and state investigators have opened a probe to see if safely rules were being followed at the mine.

The mine's owner, state-controlled company Alrosa, has the world's largest rough diamond reserves. The Mir mine is one of its main deposits.