The death toll from a gas explosion in China's Henan province has risen to 12, according to a briefing from local authorities on Friday.

The gas blast last Wednesday transpired at around 9 p.m. (13:00 GMT) during an expansion process at the Dengfeng City colliery by workers from the Xingyu Coal Mining Co. Ltd.

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Earlier reports placed the number of fatalities to five. Of those, three were rescuers. Meanwhile, the bodies of the remaining seven trapped miners were discovered on Friday at 6 a.m. (local time), according to a statement issued by local authorities.

News.com.au reported that a preliminary investigation found that the incident was triggered by human error. However, authorities are yet to determine if the lack of oxygen or the rubble was the cause of death.

At least 51 workers were on the site during the accident. Of those, 39 managed to escape.

Chen Zhilong, vice mayor of Dengfeng, revealed that operations of Xingyu have temporarily been suspended last Dec. 21 and had resumed on Dec. 29 with approval from the government.

China is not only the largest coal distributor and producer globally but also accounts for more than two-thirds of deaths in mining-related activities because of the government's poor regulation in the mining sector.

Tagschina, mine collapse, rescue operations