Eight Dead, Dozens Missing in Northern China Coal Mine Gas Explosion

China. At least eight people have died and dozens are missing in a gas explosion in a coal mine in northern China. According to Xinhua news agency, the explosion occurred at 7:29 PM on Friday in the Liueshengyu coal mine in Shanxi province.

Xinhua reported that 247 workers were trapped in the coal mine at the time of the explosion, and 201 of them were rescued safely on Saturday.

Citing local emergency management officials, Xinhua confirmed that eight people have died, and 38 are still missing, with search operations ongoing.

President Xi Jinping has urged all possible efforts to treat the injured and called for a thorough investigation into the incident, Xinhua reported.

He emphasized that all regions and departments must learn from this accident, remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety, and control destructive incidents.  

Earlier, Xinhua had reported that the level of carbon monoxide in the gas mine had reached a highly toxic level.

Previous reports indicated that the condition of some of the missing was