Safety chief blasts mine staff for failing to keep accurate records of workers
The death toll from the coal mine explosion in Tangshan , Hebei province , rose to 74 yesterday, with 32 still missing.
Rescuers have so far found 71 bodies underground at the privately run Liuguantun colliery. Three miners who survived the blast later died in hospital, Xinhua said.
The Liuguantun explosion was the third in a string of coal mine accidents on the mainland during the past two weeks that claimed at least 245 lives. Authorities have yet to reveal whether 42 miners trapped for six days in a flooded mine in Xinan county, Henan , have survived.
A rescuer was quoted by Xinhua yesterday as saying the chances of finding more survivors in Liuguantun were slim because of the high concentration of gas after the underground explosion.
'Technically speaking, survival is possible. But it's hard to say how big the chances are,' a rescuer said.
