BEIJING, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - Rescuers had recovered the bodies of 70 miners by Thursday evening following a mine blast in central China, Xinhua news agency said.
The blast occurred early on Thursday at the Xinyao mine in the northern province of Shanxi, the heart of the Chinese coal industry. Earlier reports said 40 miners had been killed in the explosion.
At least 26 miners are still trapped underground with 15 others being rescued or managing to escape, Xinhua said.
Initial reports said the accident was caused by illegal mining in an unauthorized coal seam, and that the management initially delayed raising the alarm, which may have caused a higher death toll.
In a separate incident, Xinhua said 11 miners had been trapped for more than three days after a tunnel gave way in an illegal iron and gold mine in the northern province of Hebei.
The Chinese coal mining industry is considered one of the world's most dangerous, and accidents are common at this time of year as coal producers attempt to increase output in the run-up to the winter period.
According to Chinese government statistics, a total of 1,920 coal mine accidents, in which 3,069 miners died, were registered in the country from January to October 2007.
An average 13 miners per day die in China's mines.
