Still searching for 28 miners trapped for more than a day in a coal mine after an explosion southwest China.

Police on Thursday detained the mine owners and checked for safety violations.

There were 154 miners working at the Xiaojiawan coal mine in Sichuan province’s coal-rich Panzhihua city when it exploded on Wednesday night, and 107 survivors have been pulled to the surface, the State Administration of Work Safety said in a statement.

Rescuers recovered the bodies of 16 miners who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, state-run Central China Television said. Three other miners died at a hospital after being pulled to the surface, CCTV said. It did not give the cause of death for those miners.

The government agency said the rescue work is dangerous because of high underground temperatures, dense carbon monoxide, a lack of ventilation and narrow tunnel access.

The mine is owned by Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co Ltd and the owners were in police custody for investigation, the Panzhihua city government said in a statement.

Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety rules are often ignored.

Last year, 1973 miners were killed in coal mine accidents in the country, but that was down 19 per cent from the previous year as authorities continue to beef up safety measures.

China’s State Administration of Work Safety said last week that it planned to close more than 600 small coal mines – considered more dangerous than larger mines – this year to further reduce fatalities.

With an annual output of 90,000 tonnes, Xiaojaiwan is considered a small mine.

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