The death toll from a gas blast in a coal mine in China rose to 26 Thursday, while another 21 workers remained trapped in the mine's pit, officials said.

More than 300 rescuers worked against time to save the trapped miners at the Xiaojiawan Coal Mine in Panzhihua city in southwest Sichuan province where the blast occurred Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since the blast local authorities have revised the number of workers who were in the pit at the time of the blast.

Latest figures said 154 miners were working underground when the blast occurred about 6 p.m. Wednesday, Xinhua reported, adding 107 of them had either managed to escape on their own or were pulled out of the shaft after the incident.

The toll of 26 dead included three rescued miners who later died while being taken to hospital, thus leaving the remaining 21 trapped in the disabled mine.

Of those injured, Xinhua quoted Health Department sources as saying at least 10 suffered serious burn-related injuries and seven more remained in critical condition. Others were reported in stable condition.

Efforts to rescue the trapped miners were being hampered by narrow underground spaces, caved-in debris, extremely high temperatures and poisonous carbon monoxide in the gas-filled pit, Xinhua said. One rescuer said he had entered the pit three times Thursday and managed to pull out two miners alive.

"The shaft of the mine has been severely destroyed, making our rescue work very hard," the rescuer said.

A 34-year-old miner who survived later told Xinhua at his hospital he heard a crackling sound of an explosion but didn't feel any shockwave.

"What came out of the air compressor was not fresh air but ash, and soon my workmates and I got headache," he said. He said before he scrambled out, he managed to get the pipe off the compressor to let in fresh air.

The coal mine, southwest of the provincial capital Chengdu, is owned by Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co. Ltd., Xinhua reported. Three owners of the mine had been arrested on unknown charges while the investigation into the incident continued.

Coal mine accidents in China take a heavy toll every year despite stringent safety regulations. Safety experts in the past have conceded many mines operate illegally in the country.

Also Wednesday, seven workers were rescued after being trapped for nearly 48 hours in an underground coal mine in northern Shanxi province. They were trapped when the mine's roof collapsed Monday.