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Death Toll Rises to 35 in Flooded Chinese Coal Mine, 3 Still Missing

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Rescuers retrieved two more bodies Monday from a coal mine that was flooded two weeks ago in north China's Shanxi Province, bringing the death toll to 35.

Rescuers are searching for three others who are still missing in the pit of Wangjialing Coal Mine, which straddles Xiangning County, of Linfen City, and Hejin City, of Yuncheng City, the rescue headquarters said.

Altogether 261 miners were working in the shaft of the coal mine, which is under construction, when the flooding happened at about 1:40 PM March 28, and only 108 were lifted safely to the surface.

A total of 115 miners were rescued alive on April 5 after being trapped for more than a week underground.

The survivors had all been "out of life-threatening danger" and in stable conditions, said Gao Guoshun, director of Shanxi's Health Bureau, Sunday.

"The number of seriously injured workers has dropped from 69 to 12. And the three critically injured ones are no longer in danger," Gao said.

The rescued miners are receiving medical treatment in five hospitals in Hejin and Taiyuan cities.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2010)

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