Changzhi: The death toll from a devastating gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province has surged to 90, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, in what officials are now describing as one of the deadliest mine disasters in the country in over a decade, Reuters reported.
The blast occurred late on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, part of Changzhi city in Shanxi. At the time of the explosion, 247 workers were underground, state news agency Xinhua earlier reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on authorities to “spare no effort” in rescuing trapped workers, treating the injured, and carrying out a thorough probe into the cause of the accident, while demanding strict accountability in accordance with the law.
Premier Li Qiang backed these directives, urging local officials to ensure that information is released promptly and accurately, while stressing the need for strict accountability for any failures in safety management.
Rescue operations were ongoing late on Saturday, with local emergency management officials in Qinyuan reporting that teams were still working to reach the deepest sections of the mine, where gas and carbon‑monoxide levels remained dangerously high.
China has cut coal‑mine fatalities dramatically since the early 2000s through stricter regulations, compulsory safety training, higher penalties for violations, and the closure of many small, high‑risk mines.
Executives of the company responsible for the Liushenyu mine have been detained as part of the probe, Xinhua reported.
Earlier on Saturday, Xinhua had put the death toll at only eight, with more than 200 workers brought safely to the surface. The sharp rise in the number of fatalities over the course of the day has raised questions, though state media have not yet offered a detailed explanation for the jump.
