Chinese rescuers have found the bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine, raising the death toll to 10, officials said Monday.

Eleven others were rescued a day earlier after being trapped underground for two weeks at the mine in Shandong province. One person was still missing.

The cause of the accident at the mine, which was under construction, is under investigation. The explosions on Jan. 10 released 70 tons of debris that blocked a shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground.

Rescuers drilled parallel shafts to send down food and nutrients and eventually bring up the survivors on Sunday.

Chen Yumin, director of the rescue group, told reporters that the nine workers recovered Monday died more than 400 meters below ground. He said there had been two explosions about an hour and a half apart, with the second explosion causing more damage.

Search efforts will continue for the remaining miner until he is found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of Yantai city, where the mine is located.

“Until this worker is found, we will not give up,” he said at a news conference.

Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort held a moment of silence for the victims, bowing their heads.

“Our hearts are deeply grieved. We express our profound condolences, and we express deep sympathies to the families of the victim,” he said.

Authorities have detained mine managers for delaying reporting the accident.

Such protracted and expensive rescue efforts are relatively new in China’s mining industry, which used to average 5,000 deaths per year.

Increased supervision has improved safety, although demand for coal and precious metals continues to prompt corner-cutting. A new crackdown was ordered after two accidents in mountainous southwestern Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.

Related Stories
‹
Vietnam Celebrates 50 Years Since War’s End With Focus on Peace and Unity
Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future.
The United States and China Are Locked In a Faceoff Over Tariffs. No One Wants To Blink First
President Donald Trump tried to narrow his global trade war into a direct — and risky — faceoff with China, escalating the tariff fight.
Beyond the Ban: How TikTok’s Uncertain Future Affects Student Creators
At UNC, many student influencers make money off their TikTok fame. Now, those influencers are in limbo with the app's U.S. future in question.
Sweeping Trump Tariffs Draw Dismay and Calls for Talks From Countries Around the Globe
Sweeping new tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and urgent calls around the globe.
Germany Sees Ukraine Truce Efforts as Deadlocked, While China Says the Talks Are Encouraging
Germany’s chief diplomat on Tuesday described efforts to secure a truce in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine as deadlocked.
Trump Is Leveraging Tariffs. Is He Ready for Potential Fallout? Are Consumers? Here’s What To Know
Trump's tariffs fulfill certain campaign promises but also have roiled stock markets and supply chains while testing relations with neighbors.
Trump, the ‘America First’ Candidate, Has a New Preoccupation: Imperialism
Donald Trump ran on an “America First” foreign policy platform. But since winning a second term, he's been embracing a new imperialist agenda.
Strong Earthquake Kills at Least 126 People in Western China Near Mount Everest
Written by KEN MORITSUGU BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal on Tuesday, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in Tibet. Many others were trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Rescue workers climbed mounds of broken bricks, […]
5 Things We Know and Still Don’t Know About COVID, 5 Years After It Appeared
COVID-19 is less deadly than it was in the pandemic’s early days. But the virus is evolving, meaning scientists must track it closely.
Russia and North Korea Sign Partnership Deal That Appears to Be the Strongest Since the Cold War
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement Wednesday that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression.”
›