May 23 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue efforts after a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province killed eight people and left 38 trapped underground, state media reported on Saturday.
The gas explosion occurred late Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, with 247 workers on duty underground, state media Xinhua reported.
Xi called for authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law.
Premier Li Qiang echoed the instructions, calling for timely and accurate release of information and rigorous accountability.
By early Saturday, 201 people had been brought to the surface, along with the eight dead, and rescue operations were ongoing and the cause of the accident was under investigation, according to local emergency management authority at Qinyuan.
(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom and Fabiola Arámburo in Mexico City; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kim Coghill)
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