Chinese authorities have revised downward the number of fatalities from a catastrophic coal mine explosion, announcing Saturday evening that 82 people died in what officials are calling the country’s most devastating mining incident in nearly two decades.
The deadly gas explosion occurred Friday night at the Liushenyu coal mine located in China’s northern Shanxi province. Early reports from government media outlets had indicated that at least 90 workers lost their lives in the blast.
Despite the reduced casualty count, this tragedy still stands as China’s most fatal mining incident since 2009, when 108 workers perished in a gas explosion at the Xinxing Mine in Heilongjiang province.
Authorities explained during Saturday’s press briefing that confusion following the disaster resulted in the original incorrect fatality count.
“After the incident the scene was chaotic, the company’s count of the number of workers was not clear, which led to the initial inaccurate number,” said Guo Xiaofang, the head of Shanxi’s Qinyuan county, where the mine is located.
At the time the explosion occurred, 247 workers were performing their duties below ground.
According to Guo, two individuals remain missing, while 128 workers sustained injuries requiring hospitalization and 35 escaped without harm.
The mining facility operates under the ownership of Shanxi Tongzhou Coal Coking Group, and authorities have shuttered all four of the company’s mining operations while detaining corporate leadership, officials announced during the news briefing.
A front-page editorial appeared Sunday morning in the state-controlled People’s Daily newspaper, demanding increased focus on workplace safety and urging officials to “completely reverse the tendency to prioritise development over safety.”
According to Xinhua news agency, President Xi Jinping issued orders Saturday for authorities to “spare no effort” in providing medical care to survivors and continuing search and rescue efforts. The president also mandated a full investigation into the disaster.
Officials revealed during the press conference that the mining operation has an annual coal production capacity of 1.2 million tons. China extracted 4.83 billion tons of coal last year, which serves as the foundation of the nation’s electrical power generation.
