As rescue work concluded on Tuesday, the death toll from the colliery gas blast in southwest China's Guizhou Province has been confirmed at 16.

The explosion took place at the Shagou Coal Mine in Liupanshui City at 4:55 AM on November 18 while 25 miners were working underground. Nine of the trapped miners escaped. The bodies of the other 16 miners were found by rescuers.

The colliery has three mining systems underground with a designed annual output of 30,000 tons. When the colliery runs at full capacity, the concentration of carbon monoxide rises to an extent that is too high for the ventilation system to work effectively.

Operations continued despite the local supervisor's warnings. A high concentration of gas was the direct cause of the tragedy, experts at the site said.

Families of each dead miner have been given 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) in compensation, a local government source said.

Rescue efforts and investigations were concluded on Tuesday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2005)