China’s Deadliest Mining Accident in Recent Years

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s Shanxi province killed at least 82 people, marking the deadliest mining accident in recent years. The accident occurred on Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Local officials reported at a Saturday news conference that 82 fatalities were confirmed, with more than 120 individuals hospitalized, and two people were still missing. There was a revision in the death toll from earlier reports by state broadcaster CCTV that listed 90 deaths. Authorities described the scene as ‘chaotic’ in the accident’s immediate aftermath, underscoring that initial figures were provisional.

The explosion remains under investigation. Officials indicated there were ‘serious violations’ of law by the mine’s operator, yet specific transgressions were not detailed. Earlier in the day, Xinhua noted ongoing rescue efforts involving hundreds of rescuers and medical personnel at the site. Many injured individuals suffered from exposure to toxic gas, reported CCTV.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out attempts to find the missing people and demanded a thorough investigation with legal accountability. Those tied to the operating company have been ‘placed under control,’ per the local emergency management bureau, Xinhua stated.

An investigation team from China’s State Council, roughly equivalent to a Cabinet, is conducting a ‘rigorous and uncompromising’ examination of the explosion, another Xinhua report reinforced after remarks from President Xi.

Wang Yong, a miner who survived the incident, recounted to CCTV in a video interview about the smell of sulfur like firecrackers and smoke visibility. Wang said, “I told people to run. As I ran, I saw people being choked by the smoke. And then I blacked out.” State broadcaster also exposed that mismatched blueprints from the coal mine hampered rescue operations.

The mine, managed by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group, has an annual output capacity of 1.2 million tons. It was categorized as a disaster-prone site due to ‘high gas content’ by China’s National Mine Safety Administration in 2024.

Shanxi province stands as China’s primary coal mining area, digging up 1.3 billion tons of coal last year, nearly a third of the national output. Despite transitioning towards green energy, coal remains a major energy source because of its cost-efficiency and availability. While safety measures have improved, mining disasters occur frequently.

In February 2023, a collapse at an open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia resulted in 53 deaths. A similar incident in November 2009 led to 108 casualties in Heilongjiang province.