A gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern province of Shanxi has killed at least 90 people, according to state media. The incident occurred on Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, with around 247 workers on duty at the time, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Shanxi province, larger than Greece and home to about 34 million people, is China's primary coal mining region. Last year, its hundreds of thousands of miners extracted 1.3 billion tons (1.17 billion metric tons) of coal, nearly a third of the nation's total output.
Mining disasters are frequent in China, where rapid industrialisation has been accompanied by intense resource exploitation, poor working conditions, and weak regulatory oversight. Mine owners and local officials are often accused of prioritising profits over safety. Underground explosions are frequently attributed to insufficient ventilation equipment to clear gas seeping from coal seams. In recent decades, the Chinese government has attempted to reduce mining fatalities by enhancing safety measures and closing smaller mines.
Major Incidents This Century
- 2023: 53 people died after a collapse at an open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, northern China.
- 2009: 108 miners were killed in a gas explosion at the state-run Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang province, near the Russian border. State broadcaster CCTV showed a diagram indicating miners were trapped about a third of a mile underground. Footage revealed one entrance blocked and rescuers in orange suits with breathing apparatus attempting to enter through another.
- 2005: 171 people died in a blast at the Dongfeng coal mine in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang province.
- 2005: 214 miners perished in a gas explosion at the Sunjiawan coal mine in Liaoning province, northeastern China.
- 2004: 166 fatalities occurred in a gas explosion at the Chenjiashan coal mine in Shaanxi province, northwestern China.
- 2004: 148 people were killed in a gas explosion at the Daping coal mine in Henan province, central China.
- 2000: 162 people died after an explosion at the Muchonggou coal mine in Guizhou province, southwestern China.
These incidents underscore the persistent safety challenges in China's coal mining industry, despite government efforts to improve conditions.
