A gas explosion occurred at 7:29 pm on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, Shanxi, where 247 workers were underground. State media reported that at least eight people died and dozens remained trapped. By early Saturday, 201 people had been brought safely to the surface, including the eight confirmed dead. Carbon monoxide levels exceeded limits, and some trapped workers were in critical condition. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to spare no effort to treat the injured and conduct search and rescue operations. Xi ordered a thorough investigation into the cause and strict accountability, and called for lessons to prevent major workplace safety accidents. Mine safety has improved in recent decades, but accidents remain frequent due to lax safety protocols.
"The blast took place at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT/UTC) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county in Shanxi, one of China's poorer provinces, with 247 workers on duty underground, according to state news agency Xinhua. Xinhua reported that 201 people had been brought safely to the surface by early Saturday, including the eight confirmed dead. Rescue efforts are ongoing."
"Earlier, Xinhua said that levels of carbon monoxide had "exceeded limits" at the mine. Some of those trapped underground were in "critical condition." Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to "spare no effort" in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, according to Xinhua."
"Xi also ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law. He stressed 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.""
"In recent decades, mine safety in China has improved, but accidents are still frequent in an industry where safety protocols are often lax."
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