The BBC is at the site of China’s worst mining disaster in more than a decade

At least 82 people have been killed and two are missing after an explosion at a coal mine in northern China, officials said.

The gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine was China’s worst mining disaster since 2009, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying no effort should be spared from search and rescue operations.

On Sunday morning, hunters deployed underground mine inspection robots equipped with gas sensors and infrared cameras, state media reported.

The BBC’s China correspondent Stephen McDonnell is at the scene of the explosion in Shaanxi province.