At least 82 people were killed and several others feared trapped underground in coal mine explosion in China, state media reported Saturday. The accident at Changzhi city's Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening, according to official news agency Xinhua, which reported around 247 workers were underground at the time. As of early Saturday, 201 had been brought safely to the surface.
Xi Jinping calls for an all-out effort to rescue the missing onesΒ
The cause of the explosion was under investigation, Xinhua reported. 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.
Xi Jinping called for authorities to "spare no effort" in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law, 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.
Mine executives detained
Xinhua news agency reported that executives of the company responsible for the Liushenyu mine had been detained. No further details were provided regarding the number of individuals arrested or the specific charges they faced.
Why is Shanxi Province at centre of China's coal industry
The explosion unfolded in a province that sits at the very heart of China's coal mining operations. Shanxi, a landlocked province larger in area than Greece and home to a population of around 34 million, is known as the country's primary coal-producing region. Its hundreds of thousands of miners extracted 1.3 billion tonnes of coal last year alone, accounting for nearly a third of China's total national output.
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