This aerial photo shows rescue workers at a flooded coal mine in Hutubi county, Xinjiang Uyghur on Sunday. AP

Rescuers were working on Sunday to reach 21 workers trapped in a coal mine in northwest China's Xinjiang region after flooding cut power underground and disrupted communications, state media reported.

Eight miners have been rescued, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, citing a local emergency department.

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The accident happened in Fengyuan coal mine in Hutubi County on Saturday evening, when staff were carrying out upgrading works at the site, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Picture used for illustrative purposes only.

In a separate report, state media outlet Global Times said 12 of the miners who remain trapped have been located in the mine as of Sunday and are expected to be rescued, while a further nine workers have not been located.

Eight of the 29 workers who were at the scene have been rescued from the mine, according to preliminary reports.

Rescuers have located the miners, with 12 on one platform, eight on a second platform, and the last worker in an escape route where water had entered, broadcaster CCTV reported.

"The working platform with 12 people is 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) from ground level and the underground terrain is complex, making rescue difficult," CCTV said.