As of Sunday, no further good news came to family members of trapped miners in the gas explosion at the Daping Coal Mine in central China's Henan Province.

Over the past day, rescuers had found three more bodies underground, bringing the death toll of the disaster in Xinmi City to 82. There is no evidence of survivors, rescue organizers said Sunday night.

The explosion occurred at the coalmine run by Zhengzhou Coal Industry Group, or Zhengmei Group, at about 10:10 PM Wednesday. Of the 446 miners working underground, 298 managed to escape. Zhengmei is a listed state-owned company based near Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.

More than 1,300 family members of victims have traveled to the scene to await news of their loved ones.

As identification of the bodies continues, compensation has begun to be issued to the families.

Six victims' families have received compensation. Other families of miners who were confirmed dead are still negotiating with the mine, sources said.

Local police are conducting DNA tests on the 15 bodies that have yet to be identified, said Yu Ertao, an executive of the Daping Coal Mine.

Rescuers are still searching for the other 66 missing miners. "It's been a hard day for us rescuers," said Liu Xinshu, head of the rescue brigade of the company.

The blast ravaged three mining areas. The ensuing collapse has blocked tunnels and damaged electric cables and transport equipment. Both the temperature and the density of the harmful gas remain dangerously high, making it difficult for rescue work to continue, said Liu.

He said that 215 rescuers, working in three 12-hour shifts, have restored 12 underground ventilation stations and cleared debris at 11 collapsed tunnel sections.

Much of the underground monitoring system, however, has yet to be restored. Rescue teams therefore have had to resort to using less accurate, aboveground mobile equipment, he said.

"This was the worst coal mine accident I've seen in more than 30 years, and the rescue work is a tough challenge to us," he said.

China had 4,153 deaths from coalmine accidents in the first nine months of this year.

Twelve hours after the tragedy, Sun Huashan, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, said at a press conference in Beijing that the blast was the most serious workplace accident in the country this year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2004)