Eight people were killed after a gas explosion rocked the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county of Changzhi, North China's Shanxi province, on Friday night.

A total of 247 workers were underground when the accident occurred at 7:29 pm. As of 6:00 am on Saturday, 201 miners had been safely brought to the surface, with the eight confirmed dead and 38 remaining trapped.

Rescue teams are currently working to rescue the missing workers, while the cause of the explosion is under investigation.