Mine blast kills 82 in China

Rescuers in northern China searched on Sunday for two people still missing after a gas explosion killed 82 in a mine that authorities said was beset by serious safety violations. The blast at the Liushenyu shaft in Shanxi province on Friday was the country’s worst mining disaster in nearly two decades, with 247 workers underground […]

Rescuers in northern China searched on Sunday for two people still missing after a gas explosion killed 82 in a mine that authorities said was beset by serious safety violations.

The blast at the Liushenyu shaft in Shanxi province on Friday was the country’s worst mining disaster in nearly two decades, with 247 workers underground at the time, authorities said.

Authorities launched an investigation into the blast, saying preliminary findings showed the Tongzhou Group operating the mine had committed “serious illegal violations”.

“Those found responsible will be severely punished in accordance with laws and regulations,” officials told a news conference broadcast on state-run CCTV.

More than half of the workers in the shaft on Friday had gone down without being properly registered, state media said, citing a personnel board at the site.

The miners are normally required to undergo facial recognition checks or take location-tracking cards before their descent.

Hundreds of rescuers rushed to the site after the explosion, with medical teams taking 128 people to the hospital as of Saturday evening, loaded into ambulances and carried on stretchers.

Helmeted rescuers took turns descending into the shaft overnight to look for the two missing workers, sending down a robot to probe the mine conditions, state media reported.

The blast is the worst since 2009, when 108 people were killed in a mine explosion in northeastern Heilongjiang province.