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Death toll in Shanxi coal mine blast up to 74
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The death toll in Shanxi's coal mine blast rose to 74 as of 6 p.m. Sunday as the rescue operation under shaft wrapped up, the rescue headquarters said.

A miner is saved on February 22, 2009.

The rescue operation concluded when all miners under shaft had been found at around 6 p.m., according to the rescue headquarters.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday called for all efforts to rescue the miners trapped or injured in the blast.

"The focus of our effort has shifted from searching and rescue to medical treatment," said Zhang Baoshun, the provincial Communist Party committee chief, who is leading the rescue work at the accident site.

Zhang also called for effective rescue efforts to prevent secondary disasters.

The headquarters did not specify how many bodies were found in the mine shaft, only saying the 74 fatalities included bodies found by rescuers in the mine and workers who died in hospital care.

Rescuers said that among 114 hospitalized miners, five are in critical condition as of Sunday evening.

The accident occurred at around 2:20 a.m. Sunday while 436 miners were working underground at the Tunlan Coal Mine of Shanxi Coking Coal Group in Gujiao City, about 50 km away from Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

As of 1 p.m., 65 miners were confirmed to be trapped in the mine.

The Tunlan Coal Mine with an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes boasts one of the best mining facilities in China. The mining company, Shanxi Coking Coal Group, is China's largest coking coal producer.

The mine has had no major accidents for the past five years.

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