Chinese state media say all 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead.

Two miners survived Monday's explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation, saying those responsible must be strictly punished. Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily.

The death toll has risen by two to 15 following a gas explosion in western China, with 18 other miners still trapped.

It still wasn't known Tuesday afternoon if the 18 were alive more than a day after the blast ripped through the privately owned Jinshangou mine in the sprawling western Chongqing region. Just two miners were confirmed to have survived the blast.

Thirteen fatalities had been confirmed Tuesday morning. Later, two more bodies were recovered from among the 33 left in the shaft following the explosion, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Authorities said hundreds of rescuers were conducting an all-out search for those still trapped.

State media now say 13 miners have been found dead after a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and rescuers continue to search for another 20 people trapped inside.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that rescuers had found the bodies of 13 people inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday.

Xinhua had previously reported 15 deaths in the explosion, but said Tuesday that Chongqing's deputy mayor corrected previous reports from local coal mine safety authorities.

Local officials did not answer phone calls from The Associated Press, and a person answering the phone at the coal mine hung up.

Fifteen people have been confirmed dead from a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and the status is still unknown for 18 others trapped inside.

Rescuers on Tuesday were still trying to locate survivors inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday. </s> Eighteen others who were trapped in the mine are still unaccounted for, Xinhua reported.

The explosion happened at about 11:30 a.m. (11.30 p.m. Sunday ET) at the privately-owned Jinshangou Coal Mine in Laisu town in Chongqing's Yongchuan district, Xinhua reported.

Two of the 35 miners underground at the time managed to escape, according to a statement posted to the Chongqing press office's official Weibo social media page.

More than 200 rescue workers, including firefighters, police and rescue specialists are at the site, trying to locate and save the missing miners, Xinhua reported.

Chongqing's coal mine safety inspection bureau has ordered all coal mines in the municipality to halt production pending safety inspections, it reported. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, city officials said. Mining accidents are not uncommon in China. In March, 12 people were killed by a gas leak in a mine in the northeastern province of Jilin, while in January, four miners were rescued after 36 days of being trapped underground . At least one miner died in that accident. </s> Rescuers searched for 20 missing coal miners in southwestern China on Tuesday, a day after an explosion killed at least 13 workers and spread poisonous gas into parts of the mine.

Two miners managed to escape from the Jinshangou coal mine in Chongqing municipality, where firefighters and militia members were digging through tunnels blocked by debris after Monday’s blast, state broadcaster CCTV said.

“The rescue team has carried out three underground operations so far,” Chongqing deputy mayor Mu Huaping told a press conference on Tuesday, CCTV said.

“We have found that some tunnels have collapsed and the amount of poisonous gas has exceeded the alarm level at some parts,” he said.

Chongqing officials ordered the temporary closure of some coal mines in the area while investigators look into the accident at the Jinshangou mine, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Coal accounts for almost two-thirds of China’s energy consumption, but its mines are among the world’s deadliest, due to lax enforcement of safety standards. </s> BEIJING — The Latest on an explosion in a western China coal mine (all times local):

State media now say 13 miners have been found dead after a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and rescuers continue to search for another 20 people trapped inside.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that rescuers had found the bodies of 13 people inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday.

Xinhua had previously reported 15 deaths in the explosion, but said Tuesday that Chongqing's deputy mayor corrected previous reports from local coal mine safety authorities.

Local officials did not answer phone calls from The Associated Press, and a person answering the phone at the coal mine hung up.

Fifteen people have been confirmed dead from a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and the status is still unknown for 18 others trapped inside.

Rescuers on Tuesday were still trying to locate survivors inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday.

Xinhua News Agency cited the Chongqing municipal coal mine safety inspection bureau in reporting the deaths. Local officials did not answer phone calls from The Associated Press.

Two people had been rescued earlier. </s> BEIJING: Fifteen miners are confirmed dead and 18 missing after a coal mine explosion in southwest China Monday, state media reported, the latest mining disaster in the country.

More than 200 rescue workers including firefighters, armed police and mine experts are searching shafts at the Jinshangou mine in the town of Laisu in the Chongqing Municipality’s Yongchuan district, Xinhua news agency reported.

It said 35 miners were working underground when the gas explosion ripped through the mine in the morning and just two managed to escape.

All coal mines in the municipality have been ordered to stop production for safety checks following the blast at the privately-owned mine, which is licensed to produce 60,000 tons of coal a year.

China is the world’s largest coal producer and deadly accidents are common.

In September at least 18 people were killed after a mine explosion in the northwestern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

In March 19 people died in a coal mine accident in the northern province of Shanxi.

Officials say the number dying annually in the country’s mines has fallen substantially in the past decade, to fewer than 1,000 a year.

But some rights groups argue the actual figures are significantly higher due to under-reporting. — AFP </s> BEIJING (AP) — Safety regulators in China say they’ve found several violations at a coal mine where 33 people died this week after being trapped underground in a gas explosion.

Only two miners survived Monday’s blast at the mine in the western municipality of Chongqing.

China’s State Administration of Work Safety said Wednesday the mine was using outdated equipment and miners were sent more than 100 meters (328 feet) beyond the approved drilling area, causing gas to accumulate.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest.

The operators of the mine did not answer phone calls Thursday.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> BEIJING — All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Two miners survived Monday's explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation into the blast, "adding that those responsible must be strictly punished." Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily, Xinhua said.

China's mining industry has long been among the world's deadliest. The head of the State Administration of Work Safety said earlier this year that struggling coal mines might be likely to overlook maintenance.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal but plans to shutter more than 1,000 outdated mines as part of a broader plan to reduce overproduction. </s> BEIJING (AP) — China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency says 21 miners who were trapped for four days after an explosion have been confirmed dead. One is missing.

Xinhua quoted Heilongjiang provincial authorities in northeast China as saying the miners’ deaths were confirmed on Friday night.

State media reported the mine in the city of Qitaihe was unlicensed and the managers were being questioned.

China is the world’s top producer and consumer of coal, and government officials have made a commitment to shutting down unlicensed mines in an attempt to improve safety.

Although the cause of the blast has not yet been identified, such incidents usually occur when unventilated coal gas is ignited by a spark or open flame. </s> BEIJING (AP) — All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Two miners survived Monday’s explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation into the blast, “adding that those responsible must be strictly punished.” Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily, Xinhua said.

China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest. The head of the State Administration of Work Safety said earlier this year that struggling coal mines might be likely to overlook maintenance.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal but plans to shutter more than 1,000 outdated mines as part of a broader plan to reduce overproduction.
Chinese state media reports that all 33 miners trapped underground have been found dead on Monday after a gas explosion at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Laisu Town of Yongchuan District in Chongqing, and preliminary investigations have been started.