The relatives of each victim in a coal mine blast that killed 105 miners in north China's Shanxi Province will receive 215,000-yuan (US$29,054) compensation, Xinhua news agency reported today.

Seventy-two families have received compensation thus far and 19 families have returned to their hometowns, said the report.

The compensation covered 200,000 yuan for economic loss, 10,000 yuan for travel and body burial and 5,000 yuan for a funeral, Zhao Shuangbao, vice head of Hongdong County, where the accident occurred, said in the report.

Meng Xuenong, acting governor of Shanxi, apologized to the families on behalf of the provincial government, said the report.

The families also received the miners' back wages from September, according to the report.

The explosion broke out at the village-run Xinyao mine in Hongtong on December 5 with 128 miners underground. Eighteen miners were rescued and five are still missing.

It was the second deadliest mining accident so far this year. In August, 181 miners died when heavy rain flooded two mines in Shandong Province.

(Shanghai Daily, December 11, 2007)