President Lai offers condolences after deadly mine disaster in China

Taipei, May 24 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Saturday offered condolences to the relatives of those killed in a deadly mine disaster a day earlier in northern China.

"We are saddened by the mining disaster in Shanxi China. My deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones and the injured and their families," Lai said in a post on X.

"Taiwan stands ready to provide humanitarian assistance. We hope those in need are rescued soon and may the departed rest in peace," Lai said, writing in the simplified Chinese characters that are used in China.

According to a Reuters report, at least 90 people were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi Province, in China's deadliest mining accident since at least 2009.

The gas explosion, the cause of which is still being investigated, occurred late Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, with 247 workers on duty underground, Reuters said, citing Chinese state media reports.

Rescue efforts at the mine were ongoing as of late Saturday, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.