Seventy-two people died in last week's gas explosion in a coal mine in northern China, the official China News Service said today in what was described as the final toll from the disaster.
Fifteen miners survived the March 22nd blast at a mine in Mengnanzhuang, Shanxi province, the news agency said.
The Chinese authorities had previously put the death toll at 64.
The mine had been extended without authorisation and was operating illegally despite repeated calls to stop production, according to the state bureau for workplace security.
READ MORE
China's mines have an appalling safety record, with 14,924 miners dying in accidents last year alone, mostly in coal mines, according to the latest official figures.
AFP