Coal mine explosion in China kills 82

A gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, Shanxi province, killed at least 82 people, Xinhua reported Saturday, after 247 workers were trapped underground following the Friday evening blast.

The toll marks a steep jump from early Saturday figures, when official reports cited eight dead and 38 trapped. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, and rescue operations are continuing, according to Xinhua.

Shanxi is China’s dominant coal-producing province, where hundreds of thousands of miners extracted 1.3 billion tons of coal last year, roughly a third of the country’s total output. The scale of the industry there means accidents, when they happen, tend to be catastrophic.

President Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue effort and ordered an investigation into the cause, with instructions to hold those responsible accountable, Xinhua reported.

This is a developing story.