BEIJING, China – The bodies of miners missing in an underground gas explosion in central China have been found, bringing to 11 the total who died in the latest deadly accident to strike China’s mining industry, according to a local authority on Thursday.
Seven miners previously had been confirmed dead in the blast that happened Monday night in Hubei province. Five miners were able to escape immediately after the blast.
The propaganda department in Badong county where the mine was located said Thursday that the cause of the blast was still under investigation. It said all coal mines in the county of 500,000 should suspend production so they can be inspected.
It identified the miners as having come from other provinces in China.
Monday’s blast was the third major mining incident in one week, causing more than 60 deaths.
