BEIJING (AP) – Chinese rescuers have found the bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine, raising the death toll to 10, officials said on Monday.
Eleven more people were rescued a day earlier after being trapped underground for two weeks at the Shandong Province mine. One person was still missing.
The cause of the accident at the mine, which was under construction, is being investigated. The January 10 explosions released 70 tons of debris that blocked a shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground.
Rescuers drilled parallel axes to send food and nutrients and finally raise the survivors on Sunday.
Chen Yumin, director of the rescue group, told reporters the nine recovered workers died Monday more than 400 meters (1,320 feet) underground. He said there had been two explosions an hour and a half apart, and the second explosion caused more damage.
Efforts to search for the remaining miner will continue until it is found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of Yantai City, where the mine is located.
“Until this worker is found, we will not give up,” he said at a press conference.
Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort maintained a moment of silence for the victims, bowing their heads.
“It simply came to our notice then. We express our condolences and express deep sympathies to the families of the victim, “he said.
Authorities have arrested mine managers for delaying notification of the crash.
These prolonged and costly rescue efforts are relatively new to China’s mining industry, which used to reach an average of 5,000 deaths a year.
Increased oversight has improved safety, although demand for coal and precious metals continues to drive the corner cut. A new crackdown was ordered after two accidents in the mountainous southwest of Chongqing killed 39 miners last year.