A devastating gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern Shanxi province has claimed the lives of at least 90 people,making it the deadliest mining accident in recent years .

The $30 million mine with a history of concerns

The Liushenyu coal mine , operated by the Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group,was placed on a national list of disaster-prone coal mines by China's National Mine Safety Administration in 2024 due to its 'high gas content.'

Shanxi province, with a size larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, is China's main coal mining province.

China's coal mining activities under scrutiny

Concerns have been raised over the province's coal mining activities, with hundreds of thousands of miners digging 1.3 billion tons of coal in 2022, accounting for almost a third of China's total .

In February 2023, 53 people were killed after a collapse at an open-pit mine in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.

Investigation underway , accountability pursued

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and urged the 'proper handling of the aftermath of the accident and urged a thorough investigation into its cause,with accountability pursued in accordance with the law.'

Questions remain about the cause of the explosion

The cause of the explosion is under investigation , and more than 120 people were hospitalized, with many injured by toxic gas.