Gas explosion at Chinese coal mine kills 82 people
President Xi Jinping has called on authorities nationwide to learn from the incident.
A gas explosion at a coal mine in China has killed 82 people, in the country’s deadliest mining accident in recent years.
State media Xinhua said 247 workers had been on duty underground when the blast ripped through the Liushenyu mine in Qinyuan county, Shanxi province, on Friday.
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“The incident has resulted in 82 deaths,” Chen Xiangyang, mayor of Changzhi city in Shanxi province, said on Saturday, according to state-run broadcaster CCTV, revising the earlier death toll of 90.
“Two people are still missing, and all-out search efforts are ongoing. Another 128 people were injured and hospitalised,” added Chen. Among the injured, many were hurt by toxic gas, according to CCTV.
China’s coal mines are considered among the deadliest in the world due to poor safety standards, weak regulation, and corruption as companies seek to profit from the country’s rapidly expanding economy.
The blast occurred shortly after a carbon monoxide alert was issued, with some reports claiming gas levels had exceeded safe limits.
According to CGTN, the person responsible for overseeing the mine has been arrested while authorities investigate the cause of the explosion.
“Preliminary judgment indicates that the coal mine enterprise involved committed serious illegal violations,” Chinese authorities said in a news conference broadcast on CCTV.
Shanxi province, where the incident occurred, is China’s main coal-mining region. More than one billion tonnes of coal were extracted there last year, almost a third of the country’s total output.
‘Thorough investigation’
President Xi Jinping has urged authorities across China to intensify efforts to prevent major accidents in the wake of Friday’s blast.
“All regions and departments must learn from the lessons of the accident, remain vigilant regarding workplace safety, thoroughly investigate, rectify all types of risks and hidden dangers, and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and serious accidents,” Xi said.
He also called for the “proper handling of the aftermath of the accident and urged a thorough investigation into its cause, with accountability pursued in accordance with the law.”
An investigation team sent by China’s powerful State Council, equivalent to the country’s cabinet, would be conducting a “rigorous and uncompromising” probe into the deadly explosion, a separate Xinhua report said following Xi’s remarks.
Video footage posted online from the scene showed several ambulances gathered near the mine.
Wang Yong, one of the hospitalised miners, told CCTV in a video interview that he smelled sulfur “like firecrackers” and saw smoke. “I told people to run,” he said. “As I ran, I saw people being choked by the smoke. And then I blacked out.”
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, accounting for more than half of global consumption.
The country is also the world’s largest annual greenhouse gas emitter, while being the biggest producer of renewable energy.
