At least 90 killed in China coal mine gas explosion, dozens trapped
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A gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern province of Shanxi has killed at least 90 people, state media says.
Official news agency Xinhua said the accident at Changzhi city's Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening. About 247 workers were on duty at the time.
The agency initially reported early on Saturday that eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground. Nine were still trapped as of Saturday afternoon, Xinhua said.
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Rescue workers prepare to descend into the coal mine in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city's Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county. Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP
An ambulance on standby outside the coal mine. Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP
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The cause of the explosion was under investigation, Xinhua reported, and rescue work was pressing on. Among the injured, many were hurt by toxic gas, according to state media CCTV.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and an investigation of the accident's cause while holding those responsible accountable, reported Xinhua.
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Authorities at the scene of the rescue site at Liushenyu coal mine. Cao Yang/XinHua via AP
Shanxi province is known as China's main coal mining province.
With a size larger than Greece and a population of about 34 million, the province's hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.17 billion tonnes of coal last year, almost a third of China's total.
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