▲ In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a rescuer comes up from the coal mine shaft after conducting search and rescue operation following a gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine facility in Qinyuan county in Changzhi, northern China's Shanxi province on May 24, 2026. (Yonhap)

NK leader-China disaster

N. Korea's Kim sends condolences to Xi over deadly coal mine blast

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping over a deadly gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported Monday.

A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi Province on Friday killed 82 people and injured 182 others, while two remained unaccounted for, marking the country's worst mining disaster in nearly two decades, according to foreign media reports.

"Upon hearing the sad news that a gas explosion accident at a coal mine in Shanxi Province of your country claimed heavy casualties, I express deep sympathy to you, Comrade General Secretary, and the Chinese party, government and people and to the bereaved families of the victims," Kim said in a message dated Sunday, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim also expressed hope that the Chinese people "will eradicate the aftermath of the damage as soon as possible" and that "the bereaved families will overcome their sorrow and regain a stable life."

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