The number of miners killed in a coal mine gas leak in southwest China has risen to 35, after rescuers found the bodies of the last missing workers, state media reported Sunday.
The last three missing miners' bodies were found on Saturday and early Sunday in Qunli coal mine in Guizhou province, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the local rescue centre.
Investigations showed the gas leak occurred on Thursday when 86 miners were working in the shaft.
Fifty-two people were rescued but one died after emergency treatment, according to earlier reports.
The central government will send an investigation team to the scene find out the cause of the accident, Xinhua added.
China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world because safety standards are ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet the nation's booming energy demands.
More than 4,700 coal miners died in China last year, according to official figures, but independent labour groups put the real toll at closer to 20,000 annually. They say many accidents never come to light.
