RESCUERS fear that 11 Chinese miners trapped by a deadly gas blast may have suffocated or been buried in coal dust, as loved ones kept a vigil yesterday and the death toll rose to 26 with five more bodies recovered.

Du Bo, deputy chief of the rescueheadquarters, said hopes that the others were still alive after Saturday's early morning blast were slim.

"Based on past experience, the remaining 11 miners could be buried in coal dust, so the survival chances are frail," Du said.

Rescuers are having to clear tons of coal dust from the mine shaft to reach the trapped workers, and they face dangerous gas levels and the risk of falling rocks as they work their way into the pit.

An initialinvestigation showed that 173,500 cubic meters of gas was released in the blast which generated enough force to throw 2,500 tons of coal dust into the pit.

"Fortunately, there was no gas explosion. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous," a rescuer surnamed Wang told Xinhua news agency. He said most of the victims were believed to have suffocated.

The blast at the Pingyu Coal & Electric Co Ltd mine in central China's Henan Province occurred as workers were drilling a hole to releasepressure from a gas buildup to decrease the risk of explosions, the state work safety administration said.

Efforts to lower the density of the gas in the pit by increasing ventilation have been hampered by coal blocking a 170 meter shaft, which rescuers say will take them until Wednesday to clear.

Two dozen police officers were stationed outside the mine's main gate yesterday, preventing anyone from entering the site without authorization. About 50 of the trapped miners' friends and relatives waited outside, some of them in tears.

He Qiaofei, the mother of a missing 20-year-old miner who has worked in the mine for about a year, expressed frustration about the mine.

"They don't care about the workers' safety," He said. "They only care about their production."

Two years ago, a gas blast at the same mine killed 23 people.

Yesterday it wasn't clear how far underground the workers were trapped.

The bodies of all 26 miners confirmed dead have been brought to the surface.

The gas level inside the mine was 40 percent, far higher than the normal 1 percent.

About 2,600 people were killed in Chinese mining accidents last year, even as the government has been making a high-profile push to improve mine safety. Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered mining bosses into the shafts and pits with their workers or else risk severepunishment.

Mining fatalities have decreased in recent years as China closed many illegal mines or absorbed them into state-owned companies, but deaths increased in the first half of this year.

At least 515 people have been killed nationwide in coal mines alone this year, not including the latest tragedy.

• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
• headquarters [´hed,kwɔ:təz] n.总部(署)，司令部 (初中英语单词)
• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• agency [´eidʒənsi] n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词)
• province [´prɔvins] n.省；领域；范围 (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对...施压力 (初中英语单词)
• decrease [di´kri:s, ´di:kri:s] v.&n.减少；减退 (初中英语单词)
• administration [əd,minis´treiʃən] n.管理(事务等)；经营 (初中英语单词)
• wednesday [´wenzdi] n.星期三 (初中英语单词)
• missing [´misiŋ] a.缺掉的；失踪的 (初中英语单词)
• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)
• premier [´premiə] n.总理 a.首要的 (初中英语单词)
• severe [si´viə] a.严厉的；苛刻的 (初中英语单词)
• punishment [´pʌniʃmənt] n.罚，刑罚 (初中英语单词)
• tragedy [´trædʒidi] n.悲剧；惨案；灾难 (初中英语单词)
• deputy [´depjuti] n.代理人；代表 (高中英语单词)
• initial [i´niʃəl] a.最初的 n.首字母 (高中英语单词)
• explosion [ik´spləuʒən] n.爆炸；爆发；发作 (高中英语单词)
• underground [,ʌndə´graund] ad.&a.地下(的) (高中英语单词)
• mining [´mainiŋ] n.采矿；矿业 (高中英语单词)
• density [´densiti] n.浓(稠)密；密度 (英语六级单词)
• ventilation [,venti´leiʃən] n.通风(设备)；换气 (英语六级单词)
• frustration [frʌs´treiʃən] n.挫折，阻挠 (英语六级单词)
• illegal [i´li:gəl] a.不合法的，非法的 (英语六级单词)