Heavy flooding poured into two coal mines in eastern China on Friday, leaving 181 miners trapped and feared dead.

Two high-speed pumps were being rushed in to drain the flooded shafts, but officials say there's no word on when rescuers might enter the mines.

A dike on the Wen river in Shandong province broke Friday afternoon, sending water gushing into the mines.

The director of Shandong's coal mine safety agency says work areas are submerged and the miners 'had only slim chances of survival'.

756 miners were working underground when the flooding occurred, 584 escaped.

China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, with thousands of fatalities a year.

Photo Credit: China Photos/Getty Images