Beijing: At least 82 people were killed and several others remain missing after a powerful gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in northern China, state media reported on Saturday, marking one of the country’s deadliest industrial disasters in recent years.
According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, the explosion occurred at 7:29pm on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region of the country.
A total of 247 miners were working underground at the time of the blast. Most workers were successfully brought to the surface by Saturday morning, but authorities later confirmed that at least 82 miners had lost their lives, while rescue teams continued intensive search operations for nine missing workers.
Footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV showed emergency responders carrying stretchers at the accident site, with ambulances and rescue vehicles stationed nearby.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out efforts” to treat the injured and directed authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the tragedy.
According to Xinhua, President Xi stressed that all departments and regional authorities must learn lessons from the incident, strengthen workplace safety measures, and prevent major industrial accidents in the future.
State media also reported that a person responsible for the mining company had been taken into custody in accordance with the law.
Initial reports had indicated four fatalities and dozens trapped underground after carbon monoxide levels inside the mine exceeded safety limits. Several trapped workers were reportedly in critical condition before the death toll rose sharply during ongoing rescue efforts.
Shanxi province, one of China’s less-developed regions, is known as the country’s coal-mining hub. Although mining safety standards in China have improved over the years, accidents continue to occur due to weak enforcement of safety regulations and hazardous working conditions.
China has witnessed several deadly mining disasters in recent decades. In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia killed 53 people, while a 2009 mine explosion in Heilongjiang province claimed more than 100 lives.
China remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, despite rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity in recent years.
By AFP
