A deadly gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed at least 82 people, with rescuers still searching for missing workers, according to state media reports.

The explosion occurred late Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, one of China’s major coal-producing regions. State news agency Xinhua reported that 247 miners were underground when the blast happened at about 7:29pm local time.

Most of the miners were brought to the surface by Saturday morning, but authorities later confirmed that 82 workers had died while nine others remained unaccounted for.

Footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV showed emergency teams carrying stretchers from the site as ambulances waited nearby.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out efforts” to treat the injured and directed authorities to carry out a full investigation into the disaster.

According to Xinhua, Xi also urged officials across the country to strengthen workplace safety measures and prevent similar large-scale industrial accidents.

Chinese authorities said a company official linked to the mine had been placed under investigation in line with the law.

Initial reports indicated that dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, a highly toxic gas, had exceeded safety limits inside the mine following the explosion. Some trapped miners were earlier reported to be in critical condition before the death toll rose sharply.

Shanxi province remains the centre of China’s coal industry. Although mining safety standards have improved over the years, fatal accidents still occur due to weak enforcement of safety regulations and poor operational practices.

The disaster is among China’s deadliest mining incidents in recent years. In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia killed 53 people, while a 2009 explosion in Heilongjiang province left more than 100 dead.

China remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases despite rapidly expanding its renewable energy sector.