Rescuers have not given up hope that 24 miners trapped underground by the May 12 earthquake are still alive, a senior work safety official said on Saturday.

The death toll from the quake has now passed 60,000, and rescuers say there is little chance of finding anyone alive under the rubble.

But Wang Dexue, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), said it was possible the 24 miners had survived.

"In past rescue efforts, we have had miracles, and one miner was plucked out alive after 21 days. So this time, we are working as though they are alive," Wang told a news conference held by the State Council Information Office. "We will never give up."

The earthquake affected 294 coal mines in Sichuan. It killed 176 miners, with another 204 missing and 24 trapped underground in three mines in Pengzhou, Anxian and Shifang, according to the work safety regulator.

"We are racing against time to reach the trapped miners and will never give up until the last moment."

Wang said the agency has ordered mines to do more to tackle serious safety loopholes. The agency's directive also applies to dynamite warehouses, oil tankers, and oil and natural gas pipelines.

No companies will be allowed to resume operations before meeting stringent safety standards, Wang said.

Wang Shuhe, an official with SAWS, said that the May 12 quake had little impact on coal production in China.

All 294 coal mines affected in the hard-hit southwestern province have halted production, Wang Shuhe said.

But most of these mines were small, with the annual output of 254 of them being less than 60,000 tons each, Wang Shuhe noted. "China's coal production, little affected by the quake, is still able to meet demand."

(China Daily May 26, 2008)