BEIJING (AP) – Chinese rescuers found the bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine, raising the death toll to 10, officials said on Monday.
Eleven others were rescued a day earlier after being trapped underground for two weeks at a mine in Shandong Province. One person was still missing.
The cause of the mine accident, which is under construction, is being investigated. The January 10 explosions released 70 tons of debris that blocked a tree, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground.
Rescuers drilled parallel trees to send food and nutrients and finally bring the survivors on Sunday.
Chen Yumin, the director of the rescue group, told reporters that the nine recovered workers died on Monday, more than 400 meters underground. He said there were two explosions about an hour and a half away, with the second explosion causing more damage.
Search efforts will continue for the remaining miner until he is found, said Chen Fei, mayor of Yantai City, where the mine is located.
“Until this worker is found, we will not give up,” he told a news conference.
Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort held a moment of silence for the victims, bowing their heads.
“It simply came to our notice then. We express our deepest condolences and deepest sympathies to the victim’s families, “he said.
Authorities detained mine administrators for delaying reporting the accident.
Such prolonged and costly rescue efforts are relatively new in China’s mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths a year.
Increased surveillance has improved safety, although the demand for coal and precious metals continues to cause corners to be cut. A new crackdown has been ordered after two accidents in southwestern Chongqing Mountain killed 39 miners last year.