755 rescue and medical personnel dispatched to explosion site

A total of 755 rescue and medical workers from seven teams in Shanxi province have been dispatched to the scene where a gas explosion occurred in a Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, Shanxi on Friday, local authorities said.   

As of 2 pm Saturday, 82 people have been confirmed dead, Xinhua reported.

The emergency response authority in Qinyuan county said 123 people had been sent to hospitals for treatment, including two in critical condition and two in serious condition, as of 2 pm Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday afternoon. Additionally, 33 others had returned home.

China Media Group citing a local doctor reported on Saturday afternoon that the injured were mainly affected by toxic gas. Psychologists have also been providing counseling to the injured, the report said.

The actual controllers and persons in charge of the company running the coal mine have been taken into custody in accordance with the law.