China coal mine blast kills at least 90, more missing

BEIJING: A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed at least 90 people, state media reported on Saturday, the country’s biggest mining disaster in 17 years.

A total of 247 workers were underground at the time of the blast, which occurred at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, according to state news agency Xinhua.

At least 90 people had died, and 123 others were sent to hospital for treatment, four of whom were in critical or severe condition, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Of those sent for treatment, 33 had returned home as of 2:00 pm on Saturday, it added.

A total of 755 emergency and medical personnel were dispatched to the site, with rescue efforts still ongoing Saturday afternoon, CCTV added.

Friday’s explosion was the worst mining disaster in China since 2009, when 108 people were killed in a mine blast in northeast Heilongjiang province.

Sulphur smell

Survivor and injured miner Wang Yong told CCTV there was a “puff of smoke” and he smelled sulphur.

He recalled seeing people choked by the smoke before he fainted.

“I lay down for about an hour and woke up by myself. I called the people next to me and got out of the mine together,” Wang said, according to CCTV.

Helmeted rescuers were carrying stretchers at the site, with ambulances visible in the background, video by CCTV showed.

President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to treat the injured and called for thorough investigations into the incident, according to Xinhua.

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.