Fifty three people were confirmed dead by yesterday in gas explosion in a mine in North China's Shanxi Province which took place on Saturday.

Eleven more bodies were added at the coal mine in Mengnan Village of Xiaoyi in Shanxi's Luliang Prefecture Monday.

A total of 19 people were still missing and there is very little hope that they could now be found alive, said sources with the provincial government.

A slightly injured miner is currently in custody at local hospital. Altogether 15 miners have survived.

But the cause of the accident remains under investigation, said an official with the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Work Safety, surnamed Shi.

A joint investigation team consisting of officials from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Ministry of Supervision, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Work Safety Administration has arrived at the site.

Officials urged the speeding up of all efforts to find those still trapped underground.

Wang Xianzheng, director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said it was clear that the private coal mine was operating illegally, pointing out that its production license was invalid.

According to Wang, the mine, whose manager is Meng Zhaokang, disregarded an order of the Luliang Prefecture, which required all coal mines in the area to stop production.

The accident is the third serious coal mining accident in Luliang District since February. The previous two killed 11 people and 14 people separately.

Wang hinted that corruption could have been involved.

A team of 84 rescuers, equipped with six ambulances, are continuing rescue work.

A total of 87 miners were working underground in the Mengnanzhuang coal mine in Xiaoyi early on Saturday afternoon when the blast occurred. Fifteen people are known to have survived the disaster.

In addition, a team of more than 500 soldiers and local police have been deployed to guarantee security at the site.

Among the 72 dead and missing miners, 34 are local people. Local officials have visited their families to offer comfort.

The remaining 38 are mainly from the northwestern province of Shaanxi, and their families will be notified soon, said the sources.

On Sunday, the Shanxi provincial government ordered all coal mines to take measures and give safety priority.

(China Daily March 25, 2003)