Beijing, January 25: Nine more Chinese miners were trapped underground for over two weeks were found dead by rescue workers. Till now, bodies of 10 miners have been recovered by the authorities, while 11 miners have been rescued. Twenty-two miners were trapped about 600 metres underground since the mine blast on January 10 in China's Shandong province.

"From Sunday afternoon to this afternoon, rescue workers have not stopped searching, and found a further nine trapped miners who unfortunately all died," reported global news agency AFP quoting the mayor of Yantai city, Chen Fei as saying. Bodies of all the deceased miners, including one minor, were lifted out of the mine. China: 11 Workers Rescued From Gold Mine in Shandong Province After 2 Weeks.

Rescue operations are still continued until the last miner is found. The explosion reportedly occurred in the mine's ventilator shaft. It caused a blockage that damaged the cable car. According to Chen, the miners were killed by the impact of a secondary explosion in the mine on January 10. Another Trapped Miner Found in Gold Mine in China.

Mining accidents are not uncommon in China, where the industrial safety regulations can be poorly enforced, according to a BBC report. In December 2020, 23 miners died after a carbon monoxide leak at a coal mine. In September, 16 workers were killed at another mine on the outskirts of Chongqing, also due to carbon monoxide.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2021 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).