China rescuers search for missing after mine blast kills 82
CHINA—Emergency rescuers in northern China were undertaking a major operation on Sunday to find two people still missing after a gas explosion at a coal mine killed at least 82.
The blast at the Liushenyu shaft in Shanxi province on Friday was the country’s worst mining disaster in nearly two decades, with 247 workers underground at the time, according to state media.
Hundreds of rescuers have rushed to the site, with medical teams taking 128 people to hospital as of Saturday evening, loaded into ambulances and carried on stretchers.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw police blocking the road leading to the mine late Saturday, allowing only authorized vehicles to enter.
Helmeted rescuers took turns descending into the shaft overnight to look for the two missing workers, also sending down a robot to probe the mine conditions, state media reported.
“As long as there is hope, we will make every possible effort,” one rescuer told state news agency Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a thorough investigation and accountability of those responsible.
Mining violations
Chinese authorities launched an investigation into the blast, the worst since 2009 when 108 people were killed in a mine explosion in northeastern Heilongjiang province.
Preliminary findings showed the company operating the mine, reported as Shanxi Tongzhou Group, had committed “serious illegal violations,” authorities told a press conference broadcast by the state-run CCTV.
“Those found responsible will be severely punished in accordance with laws and regulations,” they added.
More than half of the workers in the shaft on Friday had gone down without being properly registered, state media said, citing a personnel board at the site.
The miners are normally required to undergo facial recognition checks or take location tracking cards before their descents.
A person “responsible for” the company had been “placed under control in accordance with the law,” Xinhua said.
