Death toll from China coal mine blast rises to 50

BEIJING, July 17 (Reuters) The death toll from a blast at an illegal coal mine in north China has risen to 50, state media said today.

The explosion occurred on Saturday at the Linjiazhuang mine in Shanxi province. Sixty-four miners were working underground at the time and only six escaped. One person was rescued.

''By Monday, 50 bodies have been recovered,'' state television CCTV said. Twenty had been confirmed dead yesterday.

It said the coal dust explosion at the mine was probably triggered by the improper use of explosives in an adjacent mine.

''Police have put the managers of both mines under custody and have frozen their bank accounts,'' CCTV said, adding each victim of the blast would get no less than 200,000 yuan (25,010 dollars) in compensation.

Accidents occur almost daily in China's coal-mining industry, the world's deadliest.

Last year, nearly 6,000 miners died in 3,300 blasts, floods and other accidents as mine owners push production beyond safety limits in the rush for soaring profits brought by booming demand.

REUTERS SI RS1257