The death toll has risen to 37, with 10 still missing, after a gas explosion at a coal mine in south-western China's Sichuan province, dpa quoted state media as saying on Friday. Rescuers had recovered 18 more bodies on Thursday and were still searching for the remaining 10 miners trapped underground since the blast hit the Xiaojiawan Coal Mine in Panzhihua city late Wednesday, the government's Xinhua news agency said. Local hospitals were treating 54 survivors, including seven miners in critical condition, the agency quoted rescue officials as saying. Most of the injured miners suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, while several were treated for burns, it said. A total of 104 miners escaped from the shaft about two hours after the explosion, earlier reports said. Police detained three mine owners for questioning and froze the mine's bank accounts, the agency said.
