At least 82 people were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported Saturday, revising an earlier, higher toll.
The blast occurred at 19:29 local time (11:29 GMT) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county in Shanxi province. Xinhua said 247 workers were on duty underground when the explosion happened.
Officials said 120 people were hospitalized and some remained unaccounted for. Local authorities have opened an investigation into the accident and said the mine operator had committed “serious violations” of the law, without providing specific details.
Xinhua reported that carbon monoxide levels at the site had “exceeded limits” and that some of those trapped underground were in critical condition as rescue teams worked to reach survivors.
President Xi Jinping urged authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and carrying out search and rescue operations. He ordered a thorough probe into the cause of the accident and called for strict legal accountability, stressing that regions and departments must learn from the incident, remain vigilant about workplace safety and prevent major industrial disasters.
While mine safety in China has improved over recent decades, serious accidents remain relatively common in an industry where safety enforcement is sometimes weak.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko