China mine blast death toll rises to 90 after gas blast

Xi Jinping urges authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescue operation after explosion in northern Shanxi province

At least 90 people have been killed in a gas explosion at a coalmine in China’s northern Shanxi province, making it the country’s deadliest mining accident since at least 2009.

The gas explosion occurred late on Friday at the Liushenyu coalmine in Qinyuan county, with 247 workers on duty underground, the state news agency Xinhua reported.