Rescue teams in southern Russia have brought to the surface 15 of the 46 coal miners trapped in a shaft inundated by floodwaters, but 13 men were still missing, officials said on today.
Vladimir Chub, governor of the Rostov-on-Don region told reporters outside the mine: "We have contact with most of them but 13 are still missing."
A Reuters reporter saw eight of the 15 miners taken from the shaft at the Novoshakhtinsk colliery. A small lift capable of carrying no more than three people was being used to hoist miners to safety.
A fleet of ambulances waited at the surface of the shaft and distraught relatives gathered around to see loved ones brought safely above ground.
As one group of miners emerged from the shaft, a small child shouted "Father, Father!" from the middle of the crowd.
The latest information dampened hopes raised by earlier news reports which said rescuers had made contact with all 46 miners trapped since Thursday evening 800 metres (2,500 feet) below ground by surging waters from an underground lake.
Contact was established with the miners some 36 hours after floodwaters from an underground lake poured into the Zapadnaya-Kapitalnaya shaft, knocking out power.