Gas explosion at coal mine in China kills at least 90 | Mining News

President Xi Jinping has called on officials across the country to learn from the incident.

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China has killed at least 90 people.

State news agency Xinhua said 247 workers were working underground when an explosion rocked the Liushenyu mine in Qinyuan County, Shanxi Province, on Friday.

China’s coal mines count as one of them very deadly around the world due to poor safety standards, weak regulations, and corruption as companies seek to profit from the country’s rapidly growing economy.

Rescue operations were underway as emergency workers continued to search for survivors of the blast, China’s deadliest mining disaster in more than a decade.

The explosion happened shortly after a carbon monoxide warning was issued, with some reports suggesting the gas concentration has exceeded safe limits.

According to reports by state broadcaster CGTN, the person in charge of the mine has been arrested as authorities investigate the cause of the explosion.

President Xi Jinping has urged Chinese authorities to take measures to prevent major accidents after Friday’s explosion.

“All regions and all departments must learn from the lessons of this accident, be vigilant in the field of workplace safety, thoroughly investigate, fix all kinds of dangers and hidden dangers, and vigorously prevent and prevent major accidents and disasters,” Xi said.

Videos posted online from the scene showed several ambulances gathered near the mine.

Shanxi Province, where this happened, is China’s largest coal mining region. More than one billion tons of coal were mined there last year, about one-third of all coal produced in the country.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer coalwhich adds up to half of the world’s consumption.

The country is also the world’s largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases, while producing the most renewable energy.