A gas explosion rocked the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province, China, on Friday evening. As of Saturday, confirmed fatalities and the number of workers trapped underground vary according to different sources.
Incident Details
The explosion occurred at the Liushenyu coal mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group, which has an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons. The mine had been classified as a disaster-prone mine with high gas content by China's National Mine Safety Administration in 2024.
According to state media outlet Xinhua News Agency, at least 82 people were confirmed dead, and 247 workers were initially trapped underground. Another source reports at least 90 fatalities and states that nine miners remain unaccounted for. Over 120 people have been hospitalized, many with injuries attributed to toxic gas exposure.
Early reports had indicated 8 deaths and 38 trapped, but those figures were later revised upward.
Rescue and Investigation
Rescue operations are ongoing. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
According to the local emergency management bureau, individuals responsible for the company involved have been placed under control.
Official Response
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out rescue effort, a thorough investigation into the cause, and legal accountability for those responsible, as reported by Xinhua.
Background
Shanxi province is China's primary coal mining region. It produced 1.3 billion tons of coal in 2023, accounting for nearly one-third of the national total. Previous mining accidents in China include a 2023 collapse in Inner Mongolia that killed 53 people and a 2009 explosion in Heilongjiang that killed 108.