The confirmed death toll from a fire at an iron-ore mine complex in northern China rose to 68 on Friday as rescuers hauled three more bodies from the shafts, state media reported.
The fire started last Saturday at a private mine at Shahe city in Hebei province and quickly spread to four other mines nearby, where 119 miners were working.
Xinhua had reported on Wednesday that 116 were working underground and that the final death toll was 65 after 51 were rescued.
However earlier reports said it was difficult to determine how many miners were trapped because management of the five mines was ”chaotic”.
Preliminary investigations found that an electric cable had ignited in one of the mines, sparking a fire that spread to the other four pits.
China’s mines are among the deadliest in the world, with more than 7 000 workers killed each year in coal mines alone, according to official figures. In the past month mine accidents killed more than 200 people.
Hong Kong-based human rights group China Labor Bulletin puts the annual number of deaths in the industry at around 20 000. – Sapa-AFP