More than 80 dead and others missing after Chinese coal mine explodes

More than 80 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China.

More than 240 workers were on duty underground at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi,Shanxi province when the explosion occurred at around 7.30pm on Friday.

President Xi Jinping called on authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescuing survivors and treating those injured by the blast.

The cause of the incident in Qinyuan county is currently under investigation,the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported.

On Saturday evening,authorities accused the company responsible for the facility,Tongzhou Group,of unlawful practice.

At a press conference,Changzhi mayor and deputy party secretary Chen Xiangyang said a total of 82 people had been killed in the blast.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.A further 128 were currently being treated in hospital,while two workers remained missing,he added.More than 90 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s Shanxi province (Picture: Reuters)As part of the probe,executives responsible for managing the coal mine have been arrested.Six national emergency mine rescue teams were dispatched to the scene as disaster unfolded on Friday night.At least four workers had died due to high levels of carbon monoxide in the mines.Nearly 40 people remained trapped underground as of 7am local time,local news sources reported.

How the explosion unfolded

At 7.35pm local time,a gas explosion broke out at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city,Shanxi province. A total of 247 workers were underground at the time.

By 9.43pm emergency services were alerted to dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the facility.

Some 200 people had been taken to safety by 6am.

Initial reports put the death toll at eight,with the number of fatalities increased to more than 50 by midday today and then 90.

An investigation was since opened into the incident,and executives from Tongzhou Group,which manages the site,have been arrested.

As of 4pm local time,nine people have been reported still missing in the facility,as a third batch of rescuers descend the mine to search for survivors.

Source: Xinhua/CCTV.

A total of 128 people are currently recovering in hospital after being pulled from the wreckage,including four in a critical or serious condition.

Another nine people were still reported as missing as of 2pm.

According to Xinhua,the entrance to the mineshaft was muddy,while ropes used to pull carts had made deep ingresses in the ground.

Emergency services were pictured lowering water pipes into the mines.

One rescued miner in hospital recalled seeing ‘lots of smoke’ before he was carried out of the facility.

Coal mine explosions in China are often caused by flooding,although regulations introduced since the early 2000s have reduced the number of fatalities from incidents.

The latest blast is one of deadliest reported in decades.

Nearly 700 were killed in an explosion at Laobaidong coal mine in 1991,which was China’s deadliest incident of its kind.

Rescuers prepare to descend the mine shaft following the blast (Picture: AP)

Coal accounts for more than half of China’s energy consumption. A quarter of the resource is mined in Shanxi province.

The Liushenyu facility was one of more than 1,000 coal mines listed in a report as having ‘severe safety hazards’ in 2024.

Premier Li Qiang called for information to be released in a ‘timely and accurate manner’.

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