Coal Mine Blast in China Kills at Least 90 Workers

At least 90 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late in the day.

There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was unclear whether other workers remained trapped.

Earlier reports had listed only eight dead, and the sudden rise in the death toll has not been explained.

Executives from the company that ran the mine have been detained, Xinhua added.

The accident is the deadliest coal mine disaster in over a decade. Although China has improved its safety record in recent years, there has still been a steady stream of fatalities.