The death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in northeastern China has risen to 82, state-run CCTV has reported.
A total of 247 workers were at this mine, in Lushengyu, when the accident occurred on Friday night (local time), state-run news agency New China (Xinhua) explained.
According to CCTV, the fate of nine people is still missing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier ordered “all means” to be mobilized to care for the injured and called for an in-depth investigation into the crash, according to the News China News Agency.
The mine is located some 500 kilometers southwest of Beijing, in Shanxi province, the epicenter of coal mining in China.
Work safety in Chinese mines is thought to have improved in recent decades, thanks to a series of measures taken by the authorities. Nevertheless, accidents remain frequent in this area of activity, as the application of safety protocols is often described as too lax.
