Gas explosion at China mine kills 82 as rescuers search for missing workers

BEIJING: Rescue teams in China continued search operations on Sunday for two missing workers after a devastating gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China killed at least 82 people.

The explosion occurred on Friday at the Liushenyu mine shaft in Shanxi, which authorities described as the country’s deadliest mining disaster in nearly 20 years.

Officials said 247 workers were underground at the time of the blast.

Families of missing miners gathered near checkpoints outside the mine site, anxiously awaiting information about their loved ones.

One relative told AFP that repeated phone calls to his missing brother, a father of three, had gone unanswered since the explosion.

Chinese authorities launched a formal investigation into the incident, saying preliminary findings revealed “serious illegal violations” by the mine operator, the Tongzhou Group.

Officials stated that more than half of the workers underground at the time had reportedly entered the mine without proper registration procedures.

State media said miners are normally required to complete facial recognition checks or carry location-tracking cards before entering the shaft.

Authorities warned that those responsible for safety violations would face severe punishment under Chinese law.

According to reports, an individual responsible for the company had already been placed under legal control as investigations intensified.

Several miners also accused management of neglecting safety standards, with one worker claiming employees had to purchase their own safety helmets.

Hundreds of rescue personnel, medical teams and emergency workers were deployed to the site following the explosion.

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State media reported that rescuers used robots to inspect underground conditions while teams continued round-the-clock efforts to locate the two missing miners.

Medical officials confirmed that 128 injured workers had been transported to hospitals for treatment.

Survivors described scenes of panic and suffocating smoke immediately after the blast.

One injured miner told state broadcaster CCTV that he suddenly saw thick smoke with a strong sulphur smell before workers began fleeing for safety.

The Chinese government has since ordered nationwide crackdowns on illegal mining activities, including falsified safety records and violations of worker registration procedures.

The disaster is the worst mining accident in China since 2009, when a mine explosion in Heilongjiang province killed 108 people.

Foreign leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and support for rescue efforts.

Shanxi province remains the centre of China’s coal mining industry, although the sector has long faced criticism over workplace safety standards despite recent reforms and tighter regulations.