Ten miners were killed and two others remain missing following a gas leak on Sunday at a coal mine in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

According to local sources, the gas leak took place about 460 meters underground in a shaft operated by the Yunhua Coalmine Co. Ltd., which is administered by the Nancheng Neighborhood Affairs Office of Nanchuan City. Forty-eight miners were working underground at the time.

A total of 36 people escaped from the shaft, but two others remained missing as of midnight Sunday.

At last report, the mine's ventilation system had been restored and the search for the two missing miners was continuing. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) announced on Monday in Beijing that a total of 136,755 people were killed in traffic, work-related and other accidents in China last year. Among them, 6,027 people were killed in coal mine accidents.

The death toll, however, marked a 6.3 percent decrease from 2003, or 40 fewer fatalities, according to SAWS Deputy Director Liang Jiakun.

A total of 3,639 coal mine accidents resulting in fatalities were reported last year, down 12.2 percent year-on-year.

"China's goal is to reduce the deaths in coal mines by 3 percent this year," said Liang. "We will also try to eliminate any single coal mine accident causing 100 fatalities or more."

SAWS will maintain its policy of closing or suspending operations at any mines that fail to meet safety standards. It will also "guard against capacity-exceeding production activities," said Liang. Mines that have a history of gas leakage will be required to meet safety standards.

Liang said that an emergency response command center would be set up to provide a free flow of information and quick response to emergencies.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2005)