BEIJING (AP) — All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Two miners survived Monday’s explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation into the blast, “adding that those responsible must be strictly punished.” Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily, Xinhua said.

China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest. The head of the State Administration of Work Safety said earlier this year that struggling coal mines might be likely to overlook maintenance.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal but plans to shutter more than 1,000 outdated mines as part of a broader plan to reduce overproduction.</s>BEIJING — All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Two miners survived Monday's explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation into the blast, "adding that those responsible must be strictly punished." Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily, Xinhua said.

China's mining industry has long been among the world's deadliest. The head of the State Administration of Work Safety said earlier this year that struggling coal mines might be likely to overlook maintenance.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal but plans to shutter more than 1,000 outdated mines as part of a broader plan to reduce overproduction.</s></s>BEIJING — All 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead, state media reported Wednesday, as work safety officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Two miners survived Monday's explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation into the blast, "adding that those responsible must be strictly punished." Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily, Xinhua said.

China's mining industry has long been among the world's deadliest. The head of the State Administration of Work Safety said earlier this year that struggling coal mines might be likely to overlook maintenance.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal but plans to shutter more than 1,000 outdated mines as part of a broader plan to reduce overproduction.</s>Chinese state media say all 33 coal miners trapped underground in a gas explosion earlier this week have been found dead.

Two miners survived Monday's explosion but rescuers working around the clock found no others alive. All bodies have been recovered and rescuers were shown bowing their heads in memorial for the dead.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

The State Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation, saying those responsible must be strictly punished. Local officials in Chongqing also ordered smaller mines to shut down temporarily.

The death toll has risen by two to 15 following a gas explosion in western China, with 18 other miners still trapped.

It still wasn't known Tuesday afternoon if the 18 were alive more than a day after the blast ripped through the privately owned Jinshangou mine in the sprawling western Chongqing region. Just two miners were confirmed to have survived the blast.

Thirteen fatalities had been confirmed Tuesday morning. Later, two more bodies were recovered from among the 33 left in the shaft following the explosion, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Authorities said hundreds of rescuers were conducting an all-out search for those still trapped.

State media now say 13 miners have been found dead after a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and rescuers continue to search for another 20 people trapped inside.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that rescuers had found the bodies of 13 people inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday.

Xinhua had previously reported 15 deaths in the explosion, but said Tuesday that Chongqing's deputy mayor corrected previous reports from local coal mine safety authorities.

Local officials did not answer phone calls from The Associated Press, and a person answering the phone at the coal mine hung up.

Fifteen people have been confirmed dead from a gas explosion inside a coal mine in western China, and the status is still unknown for 18 others trapped inside.

Rescuers on Tuesday were still trying to locate survivors inside the Jinshangou coal mine in China's Chongqing region where the explosion occurred before noon Monday.</s>BEIJING (AP) — China state media say all 33 miners trapped in blast this week have been found dead.</s>BEIJING (AP) — Safety regulators in China say they’ve found several violations at a coal mine where 33 people died this week after being trapped underground in a gas explosion.

Only two miners survived Monday’s blast at the mine in the western municipality of Chongqing.

China’s State Administration of Work Safety said Wednesday the mine was using outdated equipment and miners were sent more than 100 meters (328 feet) beyond the approved drilling area, causing gas to accumulate.

Gas explosions inside mines are often caused when a flame or electrical spark ignites gas leaking from the coal seam. Ventilation systems are supposed to prevent gas from becoming trapped.

China’s mining industry has long been among the world’s deadliest.

The operators of the mine did not answer phone calls Thursday.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Search and rescue work ends following gas explosion at Chongqing mine, with the bodies of all 33 miners recovered pic.twitter.com/CquwewuVcG
Chinese state media reports that all 33 miners trapped underground have been found dead on Monday after a gas explosion at Jinshangou Coal Mine in Laisu Town of Yongchuan District in Chongqing, and preliminary investigations have been started.