At least 82 people have been killed in a coal mine blast in northern China with nine people still missing, the country's state media has reported.

"Reporters learned from the scene of the gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine of the Tongzhou Group in Shanxi Province that the accident has resulted in 82 deaths," state news agency Xinhua said.

The blast happened at 19:29 local time on Friday (11:29 GMT) at a coal mine in Shanxi, with 247 workers reportedly on duty at the time of the incident.

Rescue operations at the site are under way.

Following the incident, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for no effort to be spared in efforts to treat the injured and search for survivors.

He also asked the government to investigate the cause of the accident and hold those responsible to account.

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