At least 82 people have died after a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported on Saturday.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, rescue workers are still searching “intensively” for nine people who remain unaccounted for.
Xinhua said the explosion occurred at 7:29 pm Friday (1129 GMT/UTC) at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qianyuan county of Shanxi, one of China’s poorest provinces, killing 247 workers on duty underground.
Most were safely brought to the surface by early Saturday, Xinhua reported.
What else do we know about the Chinese coal mine disaster?
Earlier, Xinhua said carbon monoxide levels at the mine had “exceeded limits”. It said that the condition of some of the people trapped underground is critical.
According to Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to “spare no stone unturned” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations.
Xi also ordered a thorough investigation into the causes of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law.
He stressed that “all sectors and departments should learn lessons from this accident, remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety… and strictly prevent and curb the occurrence of major and catastrophic accidents.”
In recent decades, mine safety in China has improved, but accidents still occur frequently in an industry where safety protocols are often lax.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko
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