(CNN) -- The final death toll from a coal mine gas leak in central China's Henan Province has risen to 37 after bodies of the last five miners trapped underground were found, rescuers said Tuesday, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
More than 2,500 metric tons of coal dust smothered the pit after the gas leak, hampering efforts to reach the miners, said Du Bo, deputy chief of the rescue headquarters, according to Xinhua.
The gas leak occurred in Henan province when 276 miners were working underground. A total of 239 workers escaped, Xinhua said.
An initial investigation showed that 173,500 cubic meters of gas leaked out in the accident.
CNN
