Gas explosion at Chinese coal mine kills at least 90 people, state media says

A devastating gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in China's northern Shanxi province has claimed the lives of at least 90 workers, marking the country's deadliest mining accident in 17 years. The blast occurred Friday evening, trapping 247 miners underground.

State media reported Saturday that rescuers had managed to bring most of the trapped workers to the surface. However, initial reports confirmed a death toll of at least 90, with rescue efforts intensifying for the remaining few unaccounted for. The incident has prompted a strong response from President Xi Jinping, who called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured and demanded comprehensive investigations into the cause of the explosion.

President Xi emphasized the need for all regions and departments to learn from this tragedy, maintain constant vigilance regarding workplace safety, and resolutely prevent major accidents. Authorities have reportedly taken control of a person "responsible for" the company involved in the explosion.

This disaster is the most severe mining incident in China since 2009, when 108 people died in a similar blast in Heilongjiang province. Despite improvements in mine safety over recent decades, accidents remain a persistent issue in China's coal industry, often attributed to lax safety protocols and vague regulations. In 2023, a separate collapse at an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia resulted in 53 fatalities.

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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.