At least 82 people have been confirmed dead following a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern Shanxi Province, according to reports from state media on Saturday.
Authorities also said several miners remained trapped underground after the incident.
China’s state news agency, Xinhua, reported that the explosion occurred on Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi.
A total of 247 workers were said to have been underground when the blast happened.
Earlier reports released by the agency on Saturday stated that eight people had died while 38 others were still trapped beneath the surface before the casualty figure rose significantly.
Authorities said investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the explosion, while emergency teams continued rescue operations at the site.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue effort for the missing miners and called for a thorough investigation into the disaster. According to Xinhua, he also demanded accountability for those found responsible for the incident.
Shanxi Province is regarded as the country’s leading coal-producing region. The province, which is larger in size than Greece and home to about 34 million people, produced approximately 1.3 billion tons of coal last year — nearly one-third of China’s total coal output.
