At least 90 miners have died in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China. The blast occurred on Friday at 19:29 local time (11:39 GMT) at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, according to Chinese state media.
There were 247 workers underground at the time of the explosion.The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Rescuers are continuing searches for the missing miners.
Executives of the company responsible for the mine have been detained, Xinhua reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on authorities to “spare no effort” in search and rescue operations and in treating the injured. He also ordered a full investigation into the incident and said authorities must draw lessons from the accident.
China’s coal mining industry was once among the deadliest in the world, but fatalities have fallen significantly since the early 2000s following stricter safety regulations.
Authorities have shut down smaller mines with limited safety standards and invested in other operations to improve conditions.
The Liushenyu incident is one of China’s deadliest mining disasters in more than a decade.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared its condolences with China.
“We express our solidarity with the authorities and emergency responders engaged in rescue and recovery efforts and share in the grief of all those affected by this tragedy,” the Ministry said in a statement on X.
