China mine explosion: death toll leaps to 90 after gas blast

The death toll from a gas explosion at a coalmine in northern China’s Shanxi province has risen to at least 90, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.The gas explosion happened Friday evening at the Liushenyu coalmine in Qinyuan county, while 247 workers were underground, state media agency Xinhua reported. Earlier reports said eight people had been killed, while more than 200 people had been brought safely to the surface.Footage published by state broadcaster CCTV showed helmeted rescuers carrying stretchers at the site, with ambulances visible in the background.The mining disaster is one of the deadliest reported in China in the past decade. In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in northern Inner Mongolia killed 53 people. And in 2009, an explosion at a mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province killed more than 100.Chinese President Xi Jinping called for authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering an investigation into the cause of the accident and who was accountable, according to Xinhua.He “emphasised that all regions and departments must draw lessons from this accident, remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety … and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and catastrophic accidents”.Premier Li Qiang echoed the instructions, calling for timely and accurate release of information and rigorous accountability.Rescue operations have begun and the cause of the accident is under investigation, according to the local emergency management authority in Qinyuan.State media initially reported four deaths and dozens trapped after levels of carbon monoxide – a highly toxic, odourless gas – in the mine were found to have “exceeded limits”. Some of those stuck underground were in “critical condition”, that report said.China has significantly reduced coalmine fatalities – often caused by gas explosions or flooding – since the early 2000s by imposing more stringent regulations and safer practices.Executives of the company responsible for the mine have been detained, Xinhua reported.With Reuters and Agence France-Presse