The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Beijing

The number of miners killed in a coal mine gas leak in southwest China has risen to 32, with three still missing, State media reported Friday.

Rescuers found the bodies of three more miners in Qunli coal mine in Guizhou province in the early morning on Friday, the Xinhua news agency said, adding to the earlier toll of 29 dead.

Relatives of the miners have arrived on the scene and officials are negotiating compensation with them, the report said.

Further investigations showed the gas leak occurred at 1:44 pm (0544 GMT) Thursday, it said, although how it happened is unclear.

Xinhua said earlier 86 miners were working in the shaft at the time of the accident.

Fifty-two people were rescued but one died after emergency treatment, according to earlier reports.

China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world because safety standards are ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet the nation's booming energy demands.