More than 90 died in coal mine accident in China, PM Modi expressed condolences to Xi Jinping

New Delhi/Beijing: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the horrific coal mine accident in China’s Shanxi province. Posting on social media platform X, the Prime Minister has expressed condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people there. Prime Minister Modi wrote, ‘I am saddened by the death of people in a mining accident in Shanxi province of China. On behalf of the people of India, I extend my condolences to President Xi Jinping and the people of China. He said that strength should be given to the families of the victims in this tragic time and the safe and speedy recovery of those who are still missing.

At least 90 people have died in the accident so far

Let us tell you that this accident happened due to a massive gas explosion in the Liushenyu coal mine located in Shanxi province of China. At least 90 people have died so far in this accident. At the time of the accident, 247 laborers were working inside the mine. There is a possibility that some people may still be trapped inside. According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the explosion occurred at a mine located in Qianyuan County, about 520 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It was told that some time before the accident, an alert of carbon monoxide gas was received in the mine system.

‘Every possible effort should be made to find living people’

After the accident, the Chinese administration took strict action and detained many officials of the mine operating company. The incident is believed to be one of China’s largest and deadliest coal mine accidents in the past decade. President Xi Jinping has instructed relief and rescue teams to make every possible effort to find survivors. He said that strict action should be taken against those responsible for the accident. Xi Jinping also said that in view of the rainy season, arrangements should be made for flood prevention in the mine area.

‘Accountability of those responsible for the accident will be fixed’

Let us tell you that recently at least 7 people died due to heavy rains and floods in Hunan province of China and 14 people are still reported missing. Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has also given instructions to speed up relief work and quickly investigate the cause of the accident. He said that accountability of those responsible for the accident will be fixed. According to local media, the death toll increased rapidly after the explosion that occurred around 7:30 pm on Friday evening. Initially 8 deaths were confirmed, but later this number suddenly increased to more than 82 and then reached 90.

Shanxi is China’s largest coal producing province.

Let us tell you that Shanxi is the largest coal producing province of China and it plays an important role in the country’s energy supply. About 3.4 crore people live in this state. Last year the province produced about 1.3 billion tons of coal, which is about one-third of China’s total coal production. Even before this, many major accidents have happened in Shanxi province. Last month, four workers were killed in a mine accident in the Luliang area, while in March 2024, seven people lost their lives in a coal bunker collapse in Zhongyang.