33 miners dead after explosion in China coal mine

CHONGQING , China, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- All 33 miners trapped in a Chongqing, China, coal mine after an explosion are dead and their bodies recovered, state media said Wednesday.

The incident occurred at the privately owned Jinshangshou Coal Mine on Monday. Two people escaped, but the 33 were trapped underground; rescuers worked around the clock to reach them. China's Administration of Work Safety ordered an investigation, and nearby mines were temporarily closed, the BBC reported, citing China's Xinhua news agency.

The cause of the explosion was not identified, but typically it involves a spark igniting gas released by mining operations.

Mining accidents in China are not unusual; more than 600 miners died in 2015 in incidents similar to Monday's. A gas leak in a mine in northeastern Jinlin province killed 12 miners in April; one died, and four miners were trapped underground for 36 days, in an incident in January; and 22 died in May in a mine explosion in Chongqing province.