A coal mine has taken the lives of at least 82 people after an explosion following a safety issue.
CCTV footage shows underground tunnels filling with smoke and dust within a split second.
Based on timestamps, the gas explosion at China’s Liushenyu Coal Mine occurred at 7.29pm on Friday (22 May).
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At the time, 247 people were working underground.
Survivor Wang Jintai told local media: “A blast suddenly came down on us. It hit the entrance and knocked all of us over.
“We didn’t know what was happening at all. We couldn’t see anything – there was so much dust, it was like being inside a bag of smoke.”
An underground carbon monoxide sensor at the mine is reported to have gone off shortly before the explosion, indicating that levels had exceeded safety limits.
In addition to the dead, 123 people were injured in the blast, four of them critically.
As of yesterday (24 May), two people remained missing, as reported by Need To Know.
Another survivor, Liu Sijie, said: “The coal dust in the tunnel was extremely heavy, visibility was very poor, and it was hard to breathe.”
It’s been reported that people ran for about 10 minutes in a state of desperation, where they began to feel dizzy and disoriented.
But they couldn’t stop – and kept running for two hours.
According to preliminary official investigations, the coal mine involved is suspected of serious illegal activity.
The first rescue teams found hidden underground tunnels that were not marked on the mine’s plans.
Rescue operations are still ongoing.
Shanxi Province, where the accident occurred, is known as China’s coal-mining capital, with a long history of mining and a poor safety record.
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