Anxious relatives of missing miners demanded to be allowed into a coal mine today after an explosion killed at least 134 people and left rescuers searching for 15 others, adding to a soaring death toll in China’s mines despite a national safety crackdown.

The death toll from a massive coal mine explosion in northeast China rose to 134 late today with 15 miners still missing, state media reported, as the country’s leadership called for tighter work safety measures.