BEIJING:. At least eight people have died and dozens are trapped underground after a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported on Saturday (May 23).
The blast occurred at 7:29pm local time 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, of whom 201 had been brought to the surface safely as of 6:00 am on Saturday, Xinhua said.
Eight people have been confirmed dead, while 38 remain trapped underground, the agency reported, citing local emergency management authorities.
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".
Rescue efforts were ongoing, Xinhua said.
Xinhua reported earlier that levels of carbon monoxide -- a highly toxic, odourless gas -- had "exceeded limits" at the mine.
Some of those trapped underground were in "critical condition", the earlier report said.
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 frequently in an industry where safety protocols are often lax.
China is the world's top consumer of coal and the largest greenhouse gas emitter, despite installing renewable energy capacity at record speed. - AFP
