The death toll in a coal mine blast in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, rose to 26 yesterday as rescuers pulled out more bodies.
Police detained the mine's owner and other officials, media reported.
Three workers were undergoing treatment at hospital after being pulled out of the colliery in the city's Jinsuo Town.
A powerful explosion rocked the colliery about 2:30pm on Tuesday, according to local authorities. At the time, 40 workers were underground, 11 of whom escaped, they said.
The impact caused three shafts of the mine to cave in and damaged the ventilation system.
The privately owned colliery produces about 30,000 tons of coal each year, local officials said.
The cause of the explosion remained unclear.
(Shanghai Daily)