Death toll jumps to 90 in China coal mine blast

emirates7 - The death toll from a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province has jumped to ‌90, state media CCTV reported on Saturday.

Xinhua News Agency had earlier reported that 247 workers were underground at the Liushenyu coal mine when the accident occurred on Friday.

The agency said those trapped underground were in critical condition, noting that carbon monoxide levels, a toxic odourless gas, exceeded critical thresholds at the mine.

The coal mine is located around 500 kilometres southwest of Beijing, in Shanxi Province.

More than 1.5 million people work in China’s coal mining industry.