The bodies of two miners were recovered Thursday, bringing the death toll of a coal dust fire Wednesday in southwest China's Yunnan Province to three, the local government said.

The fire ingited at around 11 a.m. Wednesday in a shaft of Chayuan Coal Mine in Yiliang County, Zhaotong City, when 10 people were working underground.

Seven escaped unharmed and one was found dead the same day.

Rescuers began to search for the two missing miners immediately. The search ended Thursday after the bodies were lifted to the ground at about 9 a.m., said an official, surnamed Wang, with the government of Yiliang.

The coal mine is privately-owned and has an annual production capacity of 30,000 tonnes.

Officers with the county-level and municipal work safety watchdogs are trying to ascertain the cause of the accident.

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