ANKARA 

After weeklong rescue operations, authorities in northwestern China on Friday confirmed at least four people were killed after mud water blocked access to a goldmine.

The local authorities in the Shaanxi province said that the last three miners were found dead at the site, Chinese public broadcaster CGTN reported.

It was a week ago that the mine, located in Taibai county, was flooded and its access was blocked. One person was reported dead while rescue operations had been launched to save others.

Authorities are probing the cause of the accident.