9 bodies found in Chinese gold mine

BEIJING — Chinese rescuers have found the bodies of nine workers killed in explosions at a gold mine, raising the death toll to 10, officials said Monday.

Eleven others were rescued Sunday after being trapped underground for two weeks at the mine in Shandong province. One person was still missing.

The cause of the accident at the mine, which was under construction, is under investigation. The explosions Jan. 10 released 70 tons of debris that blocked a shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers.

Rescuers drilled parallel shafts to send down food and nutrients and eventually bring up the survivors.

Search efforts will continue until the remaining miner is found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of Yantai city. “Until this worker is found, we will not give up,” he said at a news conference.

Chen and other officials involved in the rescue effort held a moment of silence for the victims, bowing their heads.