The death toll in a gas-related incident Wednesday morning in a coal mine in Fuxin City of northeast China's Liaoning Province has risen to 21. 

An official with the Fuxin city government told Xinhua the number of injured miners stood at 36 and five others remained missing. It was not known whether there'd been a gas explosion or leak.

The accident occurred round 9:00 AM Wednesday in the Wulong Coal Mine of the Fuxin Mining Industrial Group, according to the Liaoning Provincial Coal Mine Safety Supervision Administration.

Twelve miners managed to escape, Xinhua learned from the administration.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2006)