A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern province of Shanxi killed at least 82 people, state media reported Saturday and trapped dozens were trapped underground.
Official news agency Xinhua said the accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening and 247 workers were trapped underground.
The agency initially reported early Saturday eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground.
The cause of the explosion was under investigation, Xinhua reported, and rescue work is pressing on.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and an investigation of the accident’s cause while holding those responsible accountable, according to Xinhua.
Shanxi province is known as China’s main coal mining province. With a size larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, the province’s hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.3 billion tons (1.17 billion metric tons) of coal last year, or almost a third of China’s total.
Holy shit. ☹️
It’s up to 90 dead I read in another post.
Every time something like this happens, we ask how, why, then the intelligent among us put up safeguards and regulations to limit the risk of such tragedies.
Then corruption pays enough politicians and then it all gets removed and we reset the clock.
I’m surprised they said anyone died. China is still standing by their COVID death toll of 60,000, which is closer to 1.5 million. A lot more that 90 likely died unfortunately.
US coal mining deaths averaged 80-100 a year for decades.
In sporadic events or all at once?
This photo released by Xinhua News Agency
I wonder why they (i.e. the Chinese news agency) chose that; it seems the bus covers interesting parts of the site.
Also, searching better images for “Coal mine gas explosion in China” returns a stunning number of older articles.
It’s probably one of the few stock images available of the site.
Mining is such a dangerous industry still. Feel for the families, every person in a mining town knows what a loud sound can be.
