MANILA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Six miners trapped for a week in a flooded gold mine in the northern Philippines have been brought out alive and hopes are high that another eight who are still underground will also be rescued, officials said on Tuesday.

An estimated 16 people were trapped in the mine in the province of Benguet after a portion collapsed in heavy rain brought by a typhoon on Sept. 22. The bodies of two of them were found later last week.

Three miners were brought out alive on Monday and another three on Tuesday.

"This is a miracle. We prayed very hard for this," George Baywong, a government official who supervised the rescue efforts, told Reuters by telephone.

Those rescued, all taken to hospital, have identified the areas where the remaining eight had taken refuge, raising hopes they will be found soon.

"We've prepared for round-the-clock rescue activity. We won't sleep until we get everyone out," said Baywong. "We are taking advantage of the good weather."

Heavy rain and a lack of oxygen tanks had hampered the rescue operation and last week officials had said there was virtually no hope of finding any of the miners alive.

The mine has been abandoned by the mining company that used to operate it, but many local people still enter it to scavenge for ore.

Landslides and flash floods are common across the Philippine archipelago during the monsoon months between May and October. (Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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