The death toll from a coalmine blast in Hebei Province was confirmed as 17 after rescuers found the bodies of six workers who had been trapped underground, according to local authorities on Monday evening.

The blast happened at about 5:30 AM on Monday at the state-owned Shuidong Coal Mine. 96 miners were working underground at the time. 79 people managed to escape, according to the provincial work safety administration.

Local government said that mishandled mining explosives were what caused the blast. They ruled out the possibility of a gas explosion, saying that the blast occurred when miners were changing shifts and handing over explosives.

Injured miners, five in critical condition, are being treated in local hospitals.

The shaft where the blast took place in the right wing of Shuidong Coalmine.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2006)