A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has k!lled at least 90 people and left many trapped.

 

A total of 247 workers were underground at the time of the blast, which occurred at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT) on Friday, May 22, at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, according to state news agency Xinhua.

 

At least 90 people had di£d and 123 others were sent to hospital for treatment, four of whom were in critical or severe condition, state broadcaster CCTV said.

 

A total of 755 emergency and medical personnel were dispatched to the site, with rescue efforts still ongoing Saturday afternoon, May 23, CCTV added.

 

Friday’s explosion was the worst mining disaster in China since 2009, when 108 people were k!lled in a mine blast in northeast Heilongjiang province.

 

An injured miner who survived the blast, Wang Yong, told CCTV there was a “puff of smoke” and he smelled sulphur.

 

He recalled seeing people choked by the smoke before he fainted.

 

“I lay down for about an hour and woke up by myself. I called the people next to me and got out of the mine together,” Wang said, according to CCTV.

 

Helmeted rescuers were carrying stretchers at the site, with ambulances visible in the background, video by CCTV showed.

 

President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to treat the injured and called for thorough investigations into the incident, according to Xinhua.

 

He “emphasised 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”.

 

A person “responsible for” the company involved in the explosion has been “placed under control in accordance with the law”, Xinhua said.