Rescuers prepare to descend underground at the coal mine in Yuzhou City, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 16, 2010. A gas explosion hit coal mine owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co. Ltd. at about 6 a.m. (2200 GMT Friday) in Yuzhou City, leaving 26 miners killed and 11 missing. The rescue was still underway. [Zhu Xiang/Xinhua]

 

The death toll from a coal mine gas leak in central China's Henan Province has risen to 26 as of Sunday morning as five more bodies were found, rescue headquarters said.

Rescuers were battling to reach the 11 miners still trapped underground, but chances for them to survive were very slim, said Du Bo, deputy chief of the rescue headquarters.

"Based upon past experience, the remaining 11 miners could be buried in coal dust, so the survival chances are frail," Du said.

More than 2,500 tonnes of coal dust smothered the pit after the gas leak, which hampered the rescue, said Du.

The gas outburst happened at 6:03 a.m. Saturday when 276 miners were working underground in the mine in Yuzhou City. A total of 239 workers escaped but 21 were found dead and 16 were trapped.

An initial investigation showed that 173,500 cubic meters of gas leaked out in the accident.

Liu Wenbin, a deputy chief engineer of the company that owns the mine, was in the pit when the accident happened. He organized the escape.

"At around 6 a.m., I felt there was something wrong with the airflow in the shaft, and one of the team captains told me he also felt it and had already reported the problem," said Liu.

The mine is owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co. Ltd., a company jointly established by four investors, including Zhong Ping Energy Chemical Group and China Power Investment Corp..