Coal mine gas explosion in China kills 82 people, leaves 247 trapped
BEIJING (AP) — At least 82 people have died following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province, state media reported Saturday, after dozens were initially reported trapped underground.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, the accident occurred Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, leaving 247 workers trapped underground.
The agency initially reported early Saturday eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground.
The cause of the cola mine gas explosion was under investigation, Xinhua reported, and rescue work is pressing on.
READ: Naga, Cebu: Police probe coal mine accident that killed 1 miner
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and an investigation of the accident’s cause while holding those responsible accountable, according to Xinhua.
Shanxi province is known as China’s main coal mining province. With a size larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, the province’s hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.3 billion tons (1.17 billion metric tons) of coal last year, or almost a third of China’s total.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
