QITAIHE, Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 4(Xinhuanet)-- Families of 157 out of the 169 miners killed in a coal mine blast in northeastern China have signed compensation agreement with the mine and will be paid 220,000 yuan(27,500 US dollars) each, sources said Sunday.

The 157 bodies have been cremated, said Zhang Shouxiang in charge of the aftermath affairs of the accident.

Zhang said his working team will also send 2,000 yuan(250 US dollars) and 1,000-yuan-worth food such as grain, cooking oil, meat and eggs to each family for condolence and comfort.

The families of the other 12 victims have not yet signed the agreement because DNA identifications are yet to be done or their family members have not arrived, according to Zhang, who is also trade union leader of the Qitaihe branch of the Longmei Mining(Group) Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The blast went off at 9:40 p.m. last Sunday at the Dongfeng Coal Mine run by Longmei.

The latest figures show that 242 miners were working underground when the blast occurred and only 73 of them have been saved.

The 169 killed include 167 miners working underground and two other workers in the ground generator room, sources from the rescue headquarters said.

Search is still going on for the two missing. Enditem