Chinese coal miners walk to the tunnels in Datong, Shanxi Province, China, in 2018. A coal mine in the same area had an explosion Saturday that has killed at least 90 people. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
May 23 (UPI) -- More than 90 people have died in a gas explosion in a coal mine in northern China, the worst mining disaster in the country since 2009.
The explosion happened at 7:29 p.m. CST Friday at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Shanxi province. China's Ministry of Emergency Management sent 345 personnel from six rescue teams to help with the operation, the BBC reported.
It's unclear if there are still workers unaccounted for.
There were nearly 250 people working underground when the explosion happened, and at least 201 people were evacuated as of Saturday morning, Chinese TV channel CCTV reported. The station later added that 123 people were treated at hospitals.
