The blasts took place respectively at 03:25 and 06:15 Thursday in the Chenjiashan coal mine in Tongchuan, Shaanxi Province. The coal mine was hit by a major gas blast Sunday, with 166 miners trapped underground, who were believed all dead by Wednesday.

No new casualties were reported Thursday, as the 61 rescuers who worked in the tunnels were lifted to the ground safely soon after the not-unexpected explosions happened in the coal pits withdense gas.

Officials in charge of the rescue operation have ordered close-down of No. 415 work face, the exact site of the Sunday blast. Rescuers would fill water and nitrogen to the work face to put outthe fire there, said Wang Xianzheng, an official of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Prior to Thursday's new explosions, 14 bodies of the trapped miners were brought out of the work faces, bringing the total number of bodies lifted to the ground to 35.

A total of 293 miners were working underground when a gas explosion happened some 8,000 meters away from the tunnel entranceSunday morning. Among them of 127 miners, who worked mostly near the entrance, were rescued.

A senior local official announced Wednesday that there is no hope for survival of the miners trapped in the pit.