Colliery blast death toll rises to 45 in SW China

PANZHIHUA, Sichuan - Death toll from Wednesday's colliery blast in Southwest China's Sichuan province has climbed to 45, with one still missing, authorities said on Sunday night.

Search was continuing in the Xiaojiawan Coal Mine in Panzhihua city, some 750 km southwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, according to the press office of the Panzhihua city government.

The mine was struck by a gas blast at around 5 pm on Wednesday, trapping about a third of the 154 miners who were working underground and injuring 54 others, 17 of them seriously.

Initial probe indicated that chaotic management and sheer ignorance of safety rules in the mine, owned by Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., were mainly to blame for the accident.

The State Council has established an investigation team, led by Yang Dongliang, head of State Administration of Work Safety, to look into the accident.