At least 82 people have been confirmed dead, out of 247 workers on underground duty at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County of Changzhi City, north China’s Shanxi Province following a gas explosion at 7.29pm May 22, 2026. Rescue efforts are ongoing. — Xinhua pic via AFP (New users only) It's tax relief season! Get up to RM300 when you save with Versa! Plus, enjoy an additional FREE RM10 when you sign up using code VERSAMM10 with a min. cash-in of RM100 today. T&Cs apply. Saturday, 23 May 2026 1:57 PM MYT BEIJING, May 23 — The death toll from a gas explosion at ‌a coal mine in northern ​China’s Shanxi province has jumped to 90, state media CCTV reported on Saturday.The gas ‌explosion occurred late on Friday at the ​Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, with 247 workers on duty underground, state media Xinhua reported earlier in the day.Chinese ​President Xi Jinping called for authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident ‌and strict accountability in accordance with the law, ⁠according to Xinhua.Premier Li ⁠Qiang echoed the instructions, calling ⁠for timely and accurate release of ⁠information and ⁠rigorous accountability.Rescue operations were ongoing and the cause of the accident was under investigation, according to ⁠the local emergency management authority in Qinyuan.China has significantly reduced coal mine fatalities – often caused by gas explosions or flooding – since the early 2000s through more stringent regulations and safer practices. The Liushenyu incident, ⁠though, was one of the deadliest reported in China in the past decade.Executives of the company ⁠responsible for the mine have been detained, Xinhua reported.Earlier Xinhua ⁠had ⁠reported only eight dead, with more than 200 people brought ​safely to the surface. ​It did not explain ‌the jump in the death toll. — Reuters