China coal mine explosion death toll rises to 82, nine still missing after Shanxi blast – What we know | Today’s news
A gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province has killed at least 82 people, with nine workers still missing, in one of the country’s deadliest mining disasters in a decade.
The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern China rose sharply to at least 82 on Saturday, with nine workers still missing as rescue teams continued operations underground and state media reported that mine managers had been detained in connection with the disaster.
What happened in Liushenyu coal mine
The gas explosion occurred late Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, Shanxi Province, while 247 workers were on duty underground. The revised tolls were confirmed by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday.
“Reporters have learned from the scene of the gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine that the accident has left 82 dead and nine missing,” CCTV said.
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The death toll represented a dramatic and unexplained upward revision from earlier figures. State media Xinhua initially reported only eight dead, with more than 200 workers brought safely to the surface. No explanation was offered for the sharp increase in the number of confirmed deaths.
Xi Jinping has ordered a full rescue effort and a full investigation
Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to the disaster by calling on the authorities to leave nothing to chance in their response to the tragedy.
Xi urged authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law, Xinhua said.
Premier Li Qiang reiterated these guidelines and called on all involved for timely and accurate disclosure of information and strict accountability.
Rescue operations continued as of Saturday, and the cause of the explosion remains under investigation by the Qinyuan Local Emergency Office.
Mine management detained in connection with liability measures
In a sign of the seriousness with which the authorities are treating the incident, Xinhua reported that executives of the company responsible for the Liushenyu mine have been detained. No further details were provided regarding the number of people detained or the specific charges they faced.
Why Shanxi Province is the center of China’s coal industry
The disaster took place in a province that lies at the very heart of China’s coal mining. Shaanxi, a landlocked province larger than Greece in area and home to approximately 34 million people, is widely regarded as the country’s main coal-producing region. Its hundreds of thousands of miners extracted 1.3 billion tons of coal last year alone, which represents almost a third of China’s total production.
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The concentration of mining activity in the region has historically caused it to be the site of some of the worst industrial accidents in the country.
China’s coal mine safety record and what this disaster means
China has made measurable progress in reducing coal mine deaths over the past two decades, achieving significant reductions in deaths from gas explosions and flooding through stricter safety regulations and improved operating practices since the early 2000s.
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But the Liushenyu explosion was a stark reminder of the risks that remain. The incident is believed to be one of the deadliest coal mine disasters reported in China in a decade, raising new questions about the enforcement of safety standards in one of the world’s most demanding and dangerous industries.
Gas explosions remain, along with flooding, among the most common causes of mass accidents in China’s coal mines, and the scale of Friday’s blast is expected to prompt renewed scrutiny of conditions across the industry.
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)
