At least 90 killed in coal mine gas explosion in China, local media reports

At least 90 people have been killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi province, local media reports.

The country’s official news agency Xinhua said the accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening, leaving 247 workers trapped underground.

The agency initially reported on early Saturday that eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground.

The cause is under investigation, and rescue work is ongoing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue those missing and to investigate the cause of the accident, while holding those responsible accountable, according to Xinhua.

Shanxi is China’s main coal mining province.

With a population of around 34 million, its miners produced 1.3 billion tonnes of coal last year, almost a third of the country’s total.