A total of 25 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion in a village-run mine in Shanxi Province, north China, rescuers said Tuesday night.

Two other miners are still missing, and rescuers see little possibility of them surviving.

Altogether, 37 men were working underground in the mine in Zuoquan County when the blast occurred at around 11:30 am Monday. Ten men were rescued, and 27 were trapped.

A primary investigation indicates that a violation of safety rules caused the accident. On Monday morning, the power underground was cut off because of low voltage. Gas accumulated when the ventilator stopped operating. Half an hour later, the power was resumed, and a spark ignited accumulated gas, causing the explosion.

According to the operation rules, when power to underground workings is cut off, the mine should be evacuated until the power has been resumed and the accumulated gas has been cleared.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2003)