Eleven miners were rescued from the collapsed gypsum mine in Hebei Province early Tuesday morning, and rescuers are trying to lift three others who were found alive out of the mine.

"We are still searching for the six who are trapped somewhere underground," said a rescuer.

The accident occurred at around 7:40 PM Sunday at a gypsum mine in Shangwang Village in Xingtai City. Two nearby gypsum mines and residential homes were also affected.

The accident has left 27 dead. Thirty-two others have been hospitalized.

Investigations into the cause of the accident are underway.

In another development, violation of safety rules was named as the likely cause of Sunday's deadly colliery gas blast that killed 16 persons in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, according to investigators on Tuesday.

The accident happened while 25 people were working underground. Nine of them managed to escape.

The city government has ordered a suspension of operations in all 84 coalmines and 319 mine shafts in the city for rectification and repair work.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2005)