Nine rescue teams involving nearly 100 people have been working around the clock since the deadly explosion occurred in the Mengnanzhuang coal mine early Saturday afternoon.

Of the eighty-seven miners in the mine at the time of the blast, 11 miners escaped unharmed, four have been rescued and 10 are still missing.

Central government and local officials are on the scene supervising rescue efforts.

The Shanxi provincial government has ordered all coal mines to cease operations starting Sunday, given that this blast was the third in the region with a death toll above 10 since February.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2003)