Rescuers retrieved on Monday the bodies of the other nine miners who were missing in a coal mine gas blowout accident in central China's Hunan Province but the whereabouts of three others remained unknown.

As of 9:30 PM Monday, the rescue operations were going on with all-out efforts despite slim chances for the survival of the missing miners, said the local government officials.

A gas blowout accident occurred around 17:00 Saturday at Dayuan Coal Mine in Longhui County of Shaoyang City when 24 miners were working underground in the shaft and only six miners managed to escape.

The preliminary investigation showed that the accident was due to violation of mining operation rules.

Officials from the State Administration of Work Safety arrived at the accident site on Sunday to further investigate the cause of the gas blowout.

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2006)