A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi province killed at least eight people and left 38 trapped underground, with 201 workers brought safely to the surface by early Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out rescue effort and
A gas explosion tore through a coal mine in China’s northern province of Shanxi on Friday evening, and by early Saturday the death toll had climbed to at least eight as 38 miners remained trapped underground.
The blast occurred at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine. State media reported that 247 workers were underground at the time of the accident, according to Xinhua. As of early Saturday, 201 had been brought safely to the surface, leaving dozens unaccounted for deep below ground.
Xinhua said the cause of the explosion was under investigation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and for an investigation into the accident’s cause, while also directing that those responsible be held accountable, Xinhua reported.
Shanxi is China’s main coal mining province. The province is larger than Greece and has a population of around 34 million. Hundreds of thousands of miners there dug 1.3 billion tons (1.17 billion metric tons) of coal last year—nearly a third of China’s total. underscoring the scale of the industry tied to mines like Liushenyu.
Shanxi Changzhi Liushenyu coal mine gas explosion trapped miners Xinhua Xi Jinping coal mining safety
Damn, coal mines are literally death traps.
I don’t get how 38 are still down there after they “saved” 201. Like where are the others, are they just ignoring them? Also seems like China always says investigation ongoing.
Is it possible it was sabotage or something? They said cause is under investigation but they also said hold people accountable… so they already have an idea, right? 247 underground and only 201 out is a crazy mismatch.
Coal is so ancient anyway. Every time there’s a blast it’s always “gas explosion” and then they’re like all-out rescue. Like how long can they breathe down there? I feel awful for the families and I’m not even sure why they keep mining like this when it’s obviously dangerous.