China mine death toll rises

Rescuers fear the death toll will reach 92

Rescuers have recovered 46 bodies from a Chinese mine devastated by a gas explosion early on Sunday morning.

Another 46 miners are believed trapped underground but officials say there is no hope they are still alive.

Hope of survival is almost zero for those still trapped in the pit

Rescue official

Thirteen people were pulled out alive soon after the blast.

If all 46 missing miners are dead, the total death toll of 92 will make it China's worst mining disaster this year.

The blast happened 260 metres (850 feet) below ground at the privately-run pit in Xuzhou city.

Officials described the mine as being very poorly built with no proper ventilation.

Local authorities banned the mine's operation on 15 June, but it was said to have re-opened illegally this month.

The coal contractor has now been detained.

'Time bombs'

China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji was quoted by the state Xinhua news agency as saying illegal mines were "like time bombs and must be shut down to safeguard people's lives."

China's coal industry is the world's largest, but has a poor safety record, with 5,300 deaths reported last year in mining accidents.

Almost 600 miners died in accidents in a six-week period in May and June this year alone.

The government had ordered all state-owned small mines to close for safety checks last month, and had cracked down on tens of thousands of illegal, privately run mines.

Most miners comes from poor rural areas with high unemployment, and are willing to jeopardise their lives to earn a living.