QINYUAN, China (AP) — Rescuers in northern China looked for survivors Sunday after the country’s deadliest coal mine explosion in recent years killed at least 82 people.An Associated Press reporter witnessed police and security guarding the entrance to the mining facility located in Qinyuan county in the city of Changzhi as emergency vehicles were on site.Hundreds of rescuers and medical personnel were sent to help with rescue efforts, state media reported.Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a thorough investigation and accountability of those responsible, after the deadly gas explosion happened Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in the province of Shanxi.Two were missing and dozens of miners were hospitalized, local officials said late Saturday at a news conference. The death toll was revised down from 90, with officials blaming “chaotic” scenes in the aftermath and inaccurate information provided by the mine operator as the reason.
Some hospitalized miners recalled seeing smoke when the accident happened and blacking out, according to state media reports.The coal mine has “seriously” violated the law, according to local officials, although they did not elaborate on the specific violations. China’s state broadcaster CCTV earlier reported that blueprints provided by the Liushenyu coal mine did not match the actual layout, which hampered rescue efforts.
