82 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade

At least 82 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late on Friday.

There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was unclear whether other workers remained trapped.

The accident is the deadliest coal mine disaster in over a decade. Although China has improved its safety record in recent years, there has still been a steady stream of fatalities.

In one of the worst incidents, 53 miners were killed at an opencast mine in Xinjing in Inner Mongolia following a landslide in February 2023.

President Xi Jinping called for rescuers to “make every effort” to find the missing and said the aftermath must be “properly handled”.

He said those responsible for the accident should be held to account, adding: “All regions and departments must learn from the lessons of the accident, remain vigilant regarding workplace safety, thoroughly investigate, rectify all types of risks and hidden dangers, and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and serious accidents.”