The death toll in the coal mine roof collapse in China’s Shaanxi Province has risen to 21 as rescuers found dead bodies of the other two trapped miners on Sunday, authorities said.
The accident happened around 4.30 p.m. on Saturday at the Lijiagou coal mine of the Baiji Mining Co. Ltd. in the city of Shenmu, Xinhua news agency reported.
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A total of 87 people were working underground in the Shaanxi province mine at the time of the accident on Saturday afternoon, according to official news agency Xinhua, citing local authorities, Channel News Asia reported.
Rescuers had been searching for two remaining trapped miners but found them dead Sunday morning, Xinhua reported. Another 66 miners were safely evacuated from the mine.
The cause of the accident at the site, run by privately owned Baiji Mining, is still under investigation. Private coal mines in China typically take fewer safety precautions than larger state-owned mines.
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Information about the accident cannot be disclosed, a driver at the company said who answered Baiji’s registered phone number.