Death toll rises to 28 in SW China coal mine gas leak

Twenty eight miners have been confirmed dead after a gas leak occurred in a coal mine in southwest China's Yunnan province Thursday morning, rescue headquarters said Saturday afternoon. As of 6:30pm Saturday, 28 bodies have been found, and 15 miners are still trapped underground at Sizhuang Coal Mine, located in the county of Shizong near the city of Qujing. The mine was operating illegally, having had its license revoked a year ago, according to a statement from the provincial coal safety supervision bureau. The bureau ordered the mine to stop production in April. Luo Lin, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, along with a group of gas experts from the Chinese Academy of Engineering rushed to the accident site on Saturday afternoon. He ordered local authorities to do anything possible to save the trapped miners. The families of 17 victims have received 10,000 yuan (1,577 U.S. dollars) for funeral expenses. Each dead miner's family will get a compensation package of 660,000 yuan, according to rescue headquarters. Hundreds of rescuers are continuing to search for trapped miners. About 240 tonnes of coal dust have been cleared out and a 250-meter-long section of the mine tunnel has been cleared.