Death toll in China mining blast rises to 107

BEIJING – The number of dead in China’s worst mining accident in two years rose to 107 yesterday after three more bodies were pulled out of the coal mine, state media said.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency cited local authorities as saying the bodies of two workers were retrieved yesterday morning, with a third pulled out in the afternoon. The report said the search continued for the last two people missing under ground at the state-run Xinxing mine in Hegang city, Heilongjiang province.China’s mine safety authorities have blamed crowded conditions, insufficient ventilation and slow rescue efforts for the high death toll in the gas explosion, which hit before dawn onSaturday when 528 miners were under ground. – Nampa-AP