At least 90 people died in an explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province, Chinese state media reported.
The explosion happened yesterday at 19:29 local time, and at the time of the accident, 247 workers were engaged in the mine managed by the company Tongzhou Group.
Hundreds of rescuers were sent to the scene of the accident. State media footage shows medical teams carrying stretchers, while ambulances are visible in the background. More than 100 people were allegedly transported to the hospital, and the rescue operation at the location is still ongoing.
After the accident, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for maximum efforts to be made to treat the injured and search for survivors.
He also asked the authorities to investigate the cause of the accident and determine the responsibility of the persons responsible.
According to state media, the officials who manage the mine have been detained. The cause of the gas explosion is not yet known, but it was reported that the level of carbon monoxide in the mine was above the permissible limits.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management sent 345 personnel from six rescue teams to assist in the operation.
Shanxi, one of China’s poorer provinces, is known as the center of China’s coal mining industry.
In the early 2000s, fatal accidents were common in China’s mining industry. Safety standards have been tightened in recent years, but accidents still happen.
In 2023, a mine collapse in the northern region of Inner Mongolia claimed 53 lives.
Back in 2009, an explosion at a mine in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang killed more than 100 people.
China is the world’s largest consumer of coal and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, although at the same time it is increasing its capacity to produce energy from renewable sources at a record speed, the BBC reports.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
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