Mine toll rises to 107

A rescue worker prepares to enter a shaft yesterday to search for miners trapped in the Xinxing Coal Mine in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province in northeast China. The death toll in the Saturday blast at the mine rose to 107 yesterday as three more bodies were recovered. The deadliest accident in China this year occurred as 528 miners were underground. Dozens of workers were injured, but 420 escaped death. State work safety officials said yesterday that a sudden surge of coal and gas that caught fire was the main cause of the accident. They also blamed lax anagement and safety measures at the facility.