Rescue over at China mine blast with 104 dead

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BEIJING, Dec 8 (AFP): Rescue work after a China coal mine blast that took 104 lives has been completed, state media said today, indicating rescuers had given up hope of finding at least 16 miners still missing.
"Rescue operations are basically finished, with 104 bodies recovered from the 120 or more who were missing," Xinhua news agency reported, citing the local rescue headquarters.
The report offered no further details on the suspected fate of those still missing or a final death toll.
The gas explosion occurred late Wednesday night in the colliery in Hongdong county in northern Shanxi province, the latest horrific accident to highlight poor conditions in China's coal mining industry.