Beijing  - The death toll from a gas explosion at a coal mine in China's Chongqing region rose to 30 as rescuers recovered 5 more bodies, local media reported Sunday.

Another 59 miners were injured in the blast Saturday morning in Anwen, south-west China, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Initial rescue operations were hampered by high concentrations of natural gas, the report said.

Injuries and fatalities are common in China's coal mining industry where safety precautions are often ignored. Official figures for 2008 put the number of fatalities at 3,215, a 20-per-cent decrease on the previous year according to local media.

However, the actual figure could be much higher. According to a report by the state-run China Daily, 80 per cent of China's 16,000 coal mines are operating illegally, and many fatalities are not reported. (dpa)