As of Sunday morning, rescuers had found the remains of 35 dead miners in a flooded colliery in central China's Henan Province, while seven others are still missing, the local government said.  

"Although hope for the missing miners' survival is very slim, we will not give up till the last minute," said an unnamed official from the rescue headquarters.

The flooding occurred at the unlicensed, privately-run Sigou Coal Mine at 11:40 PM on December 2 when 76 miners were working underground. Only 34 of them escaped.

Most of the victims were identified as farmers from the county of Xin'an, where the colliery is located. The local government said it has given at least 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) in compensation for each bereaved family.

Ten mine officials held responsible for the accident have been detained and will face stern punishment, said the official.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2005)