Rescuers have so far discovered 40 bodies at the site of a coal mine blast that occurred Thursday in Chengde, a city in north China's Hebei Province by 14:00 PM, May 22, according to a China News Service report.

There are?10 miners?still missing, and the rescue operations are still going on.

In the days of rescue operation,?only one of the trapped miners has been rescued and he is under treatment in a local hospital.

The explosion occurred at around 3:00 AM. Thursday when 85 miners were working underground at the Nuan'erhe Colliery. Thirty-four of them were lifted up to the ground and managed to escape, with 51 others trapped by Thursday night.

Among the trapped, 49 were locals from Chengde and two were from Qinglong County in Qinhuangdao, a city neighboring Chengde.

Located at Nanzhangzi Village in Bajia Township, the coal mine used to be state-owned, but was auctioned to the Beijing Guodian Zhongneng Electric Fuel Investment Co. Ltd. for 65 million yuan (US$7.8 million) in Dec. 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2005)