The bodies of the victims, including the mine owner, Zou Tianyu, have all been carried out of the pit, said rescuers at the Dingsheng Coal Mine in Hegang City.

Gao Yun, director of the Hegang coal mining administration, said the private mine failed a safety inspection this year after Zou took it over in July last year.

The mine then had its license suspended and was ordered to stop operations by municipal and provincial administrations on July 5 and 6 respectively. However, a profit-minded Zou ignored the notice and demanded miners go underground.

Gao said his administration had found that the mine, with an annual output of 60,000 tons, added a fourth tunnel to the operation, fouling the air in the ventilation system.

After a preliminary investigation, deputy chief engineer of the administration Yu Liheng said the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gas when the electricity was cut off and ventilation was stopped two hours before the explosion took place.

All miners stayed underground when the electricity went out. "It's sheer misconduct," said the engineer.

Identification of bodies has started as relatives of victims arrived at the scene.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2002)