Death toll rises to 18 after mine blast

Officials of the coal mine were detained, while authorities are investigating its business operations

The death toll from a gas explosion in a Chongqing coal mine rose to 18 on Tuesday, as rescuers worked around the clock to search for the 15 miners who remained trapped more than 24 hours after the blast.

Rescuers found the bodies of another five miners in the coal mine on Tuesday after the bodies of 13 miners were discovered in a pit 93 meters below ground on Monday night.