Three more bodies were found Friday in the tunnel of iron mines in Shahe, north China's Hebei Province, raising the number of dead to 68.
119 miners remain missing, said an official with the investigation group.
Zhang Fumin said that the investigation group, sent by the State Council, started an all-round investigation Thursday.
Preliminary investigation shows that the "November 20" fire broke out due to an electronic cable self-igniting in one iron mine. The fire soon spread to other four mines. Nine people closely related to the disaster were detained by police.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27,2004)
