A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi province has killed at least 90 people, state media reported Saturday.
The accident took place on Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. About 247 workers were on duty at the time of the blast.
Xinhua initially reported early Saturday that eight people had died and 38 others were trapped underground. By Saturday afternoon, nine workers were still reported missing as rescue operations continued.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, while emergency teams are pressing ahead with rescue work, Xinhua said. State broadcaster CCTV reported that many of the injured suffered from exposure to toxic gas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for maximum efforts to rescue the missing and to determine the cause of the disaster, while ensuring those responsible are held accountable, according to Xinhua.
Shanxi province, China’s major coal-producing region, is larger than Greece and home to around 34 million people. Its vast mining industry produces hundreds of millions of tons of coal each year, accounting for nearly a third of the country’s total output.