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At least 16 miners are confirmed dead and 93 feared trapped after a blast at an illegal coal mine in China's Jiangsu province, the state television reported on Monday.
"As of today morning, only 16 bodies had been recovered. Thirteen miners, including three women, have been rescued, but the rest are still missing," China Central Television reported.
The accident occurred on Sunday morning at a small coal mine in Xuzhou city in Jiangsu province.
The coal mine did not have production conditions and was working illegally, Xinhua news agency said.
The Xuzhou city and Jiawang district governments had banned the operation of the mine on June 15.
However, the coal contractor, who has been detained, resumed production on July 15.
Communist party and government officials of the province and Xuzhou city have rushed to the disaster site. Cause of the explosion is still under investigation, the report said.
PTI
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