The gas explosion occurred at around 11:30 AM Wednesday at the Yujialing Coal Mine located at the Yipingyuan Township, Yaodu District of Linfen City, about 300 km southwest of Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

106 miners were working underground, and only 80 managed to escape and survive, including one who was injured severely and is being treated in hospital, according to the local rescue team led by deputy governor of Shanxi Jin Shanzhong.

The rest 26 who were trapped in the mine have all been confirmed dead, rescuers said.

Zhou Xiaogen, the mine owner, Li Mingshun, the manager and several others have been held in custody, local police said. Preliminary investigation showed working conditions in the mine were very unsafe and chaotic before the accident occurred, the police said.

The coal mine claimed its annual output capacity is 150,000 tons, but its license, which showed an annual capacity of 90,000 tons, had expired for production before the accident occurred, according to local coal mine safety authorities.

This is the second coal mine gas explosion in Shanxi, China's major coal producing base, in 10 days. Twenty-one miners were killed in another gas blast at Miaojiang Coal Mine in Jincheng City on March 18.

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2007)