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Eight individuals have lost their lives, and several others remain trapped beneath the surface following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, according to government reports on Saturday.
The explosion took place at 7:29 p.m. local time (11:29 a.m. GMT) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine situated in Shanxi Province, as reported by the state news agency Xinhua.
At the time of the blast, 247 workers were underground. By 6:00 a.m. Saturday, 201 of those workers had been rescued and brought to the surface safely, Xinhua confirmed.
The authorities confirmed eight fatalities. Additionally, 38 workers are still trapped underground. Rescue operations are actively underway, with efforts focused on locating and assisting the remaining trapped miners.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to tend to the injured and instructed a comprehensive investigation into the incident. He emphasized that all regions and departments must learn from this tragedy, stay vigilant about workplace safety, and take decisive action to prevent similar major accidents in the future.
Earlier assessments indicated dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide, a deadly and odorless gas, detected at the site. Some trapped workers are reported to be in critical condition.
Shanxi, a less-developed province, is often regarded as China’s primary hub for coal mining. While safety measures in mines have improved over recent decades, accidents continue to happen frequently in an industry where safety protocols are sometimes overlooked or inadequately enforced.
China remains the world’s leading consumer of coal and is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The country has also rapidly expanded its renewable energy capacity, but fossil fuel industries like coal extraction still pose significant safety and environmental challenges.
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