Death toll in China mine blast hits 28

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BEIJING, Nov 12 (AFP): The death toll from a blast at an illegal Chinese coal mine has risen to at least 28, state media reported, with hopes fading of finding any survivors. Fifteen miners are still trapped underground at the remote Sizhuang Coal Mine in Shizong county, in the southwestern province of Yunnan, according to Xinhua. But the provincial rescue headquarters said: "The air is thin and the chances of survival for the trapped miners are slim." Families of the victims will get a compensation package of 660,000 yuan ($75,500), while 17 of them have already received 10,000 yuan for funeral expenses.