BEIJING: A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed at least 82 people, state media reported on Saturday, in one of the country's biggest industrial disasters of recent years.
The blast occurred at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, according to state news agency Xinhua.
A total of 247 workers were underground at the time, most of whom were brought to the surface by Saturday morning, Xinhua said.
But the agency confirmed later that at least 82 people had died, adding that rescuers were still searching "intensively" for nine people who remained unaccounted for.
Footage published by state broadcaster CCTV showed helmeted rescuers carrying stretchers at the site, with ambulances visible in the background.
President Xi Jinping urged "all-out efforts" to treat the injured and called for thorough investigations into the incident, Xinhua said.
He "emphasised that 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".
A person "responsible for" the company involved in the explosion has been "placed under control in accordance with the law", Xinhua said.
State media initially reported four deaths and dozens trapped after levels of carbon monoxide -- a highly toxic, odourless gas -- in the mine were found to have "exceeded limits".
Some of those stuck underground were in "critical condition", that report said.
The death toll then jumped sharply as the morning wore on.
Shanxi, one of China's poorer provinces, is the country's coal-mining capital.
Mine safety in the country has improved in recent decades, but accidents still occur in an industry where safety protocols are often lax and regulations vague.
In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 53 people.
And in 2009, an explosion at a mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province killed more than 100.
China is the world's top consumer of coal and the largest greenhouse gas emitter, despite installing renewable energy capacity at record speed. - AFP
