Gas explosion at Chinese coal mine kills at least 90

President Xi Jinping has called on authorities nationwide to learn from the incident.A gas explosion at a coal mine in China has killed at least 90 people.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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3China economic growth target set below 5% for the first time at key meetinglist 2 of 3Australia scrambles to secure energy as war on Iran fuels uncertaintylist 3 of 3Clean electricity meets all new demand, curbing fossil fuels, says Emberend of listChina’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.Rescue operations were ongoing as emergency crews continued searching for survivors of the explosion, the deadliest mining disaster reported in China in more than a decade.The blast occurred shortly after a carbon monoxide alert was issued, with some reports claiming gas levels had exceeded safe limits.According to state-run broadcaster CGTN, the person responsible for overseeing the mine has been arrested while authorities investigate the cause of the explosion.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.Video footage posted online from the scene showed several ambulances gathered near the mine.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.