The disaster-hit Chenjiashan coal mine in northwest China's Shaanxi Province again had three new blasts Thursday morning but suffered no new casualty, said officials in charge of the on-going rescue work.

The latest new gas blast occurred at 07:40, following two previous ones at 3:25 and 6:15 respectively. As the rescue force was on high alert and worked in an orderly way, the 61 rescurers returnedto the ground safely.

The national mine rescue center has dispatched a local rescue team from the neighboring Shanxi province to reinforce the rescue efforts, local sources said.

At 7:20 Sunday morning, 293 miners in the mine were working underground when the fatal gas explosion happened at coal pits some 8,000 meters away from the tunnel entrance. A total of 127 miners, who worked mostly near the entrance, escaped. A senior local official announced Wednesday that there is no hope for survival of the miners trapped in the pit.

By Wednesday morning, 65 bodies of the victims had been found, and the provincial coal mine industry administration of Shaanxi had concluded that the 101 missing would not have survived.

The Chenjiashan coal mine is a state-owned venture under the jurisdiction of the Tongchuan Mining Administration. It has more than 3,400 employees and produces 2.3 million tons of coal a year.The coal mine is a high-density colliery, featuring intergrowth ofcoal, oil and gas. Experts said its geological conditions are harsh, liable to new accidents.

By People's Daily Online