The bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine in China have been found, raising the death toll from the incident earlier this month to 10.

A total of 22 miners working about 600 metres underground were trapped after an explosion at a major gold-producing region in China’s coastal Shandong province, on January 10.

Mayor of Yantai City in Shandong province, CHEN FEI, told news men that one worker had earlier died after he lapsed into a coma.

According to the National Mine Safety Administration, China recorded 573 mine-related deaths in 2020.