WORLD NEWS: At least 90 dead in coal mine explosion
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Governments, analysts, and media outlets are continuing to follow this situation closely as additional details become available.
This is the deadliest mining accident in China since 2009. A fire blast killed at least 90 miners in northeast China, according to the latest report published this Saturday, with President Xi Jinping promising to “learn lessons” from this tragedy. A total of 247 miners were underground in the Liushenyu mine when the accident occurred at 7:29 p.m. (local time), according to the official Xinhua news agency. Most were able to be rescued this Saturday morning, but at least 90 people died, said the same source, without specifying whether there were any missing. Emergency services have deployed 345 people to the site, where there are helmeted rescuers carrying stretchers and multiple ambulances, according to images broadcast by state television. An official placed “under judicial control” This coal mine is located 500 kilometers southwest of Beijing, in Shanxi province, a major center of coal mining in China. According to New China, levels of carbon monoxide, a toxic and odorless gas, exceeded a threshold limit in the mine on Friday. This toxic and odorless gas is generated during a firedamp explosion, which occurs when the methane released from the coal accumulates due to lack of ventilation and is found in the presence of a flame or spark. A “responsible” person from the company involved in the explosion was “placed under control under the law,” the agency said. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all means” to be mobilized to treat the injured and called for thorough investigations into the incident. He stressed that “all regions and departments must learn the lessons of this accident, remain constantly vigilant in matters of safety at work […] and resolutely prevent and contain the occurrence of major accidents and disasters.” Frequent mining accidents The Asian power is the world’s largest emitter of CO2 as well as the largest consumer of coal, a resource that it considers as a reliable solution to the intermittent supply of renewable energies. Safety at Chinese mines has improved in recent decades, as has media coverage of major incidents, many of which were once overlooked. But accidents remain common in an industry where safety protocols are often lax. Coal mines alone employ more than 1.5 million people. The accident that occurred this Saturday is the deadliest since November 2009, when a firedamp explosion in a mine in Heilongjiang (north-east) caused more than 100 deaths. In February 2023, the collapse of an open-air coal mine in Inner Mongolia (north) killed 53 people. Dozens of people and vehicles were buried.
Global Impact:
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Source: This article was originally published by 20Minutes – Actu Monde and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.