China's state news service says high levels of toxic gas have forced rescuers to halt a search for 19 miners trapped in a collapsed coal mine in the country's south.
Xinhua News Agency reports that rescuers had confirmed the location of the 19 miners but said their "condition was unclear.'' The workers have been trapped for three days since heavy rains triggered a cave-in at the Heshan mine in Guangxi autonomous region.
Rescuer Ye Fangyong told Xinhua that efforts to reach the miners were stopped early Monday after carbon monoxide gushed out the mine, making it unsafe for rescuers.
Forty-nine other miners escaped the cave-in and three were confirmed dead.
The accidents—a cave-in at one mine and a flood at the other—occurred Saturday in two southern provinces after days of heavy rains.
Heavy demand for coal to fuel China's economy has made Chinese mines among the world's deadliest, despite constant safety campaigns that have managed to reduce fatal accidents.
On Saturday, the State Administration of Work Safety released its latest order for vigilance after accidents at four other mines and at a construction site and a port left 26 people dead in the past two weeks.
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