At least 82 people have died in a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province, the country's deadliest mining disaster in 17 years. The blast occurred at 7.29pm local time on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, operated by the Tongzhou Group, while 247 workers were underground.
State media reported that an underground carbon monoxide sensor was triggered, alerting authorities to the accident. Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic, odourless gas often linked to mining explosions. Preliminary findings indicated that the mine's company had committed 'serious illegal violations', according to Xinhua news agency.
One survivor, Wang Yong, described seeing a 'puff of smoke', smelling sulphur and seeing people choking before he lost consciousness. 'I laid down for about an hour and woke up by myself. I called the people next to me and we got out of the mine together,' he told state broadcaster CCTV. A total of 123 people were taken to hospital, with four in critical or severe condition; 33 had been discharged by Saturday afternoon.
Rescue efforts were ongoing, with 755 emergency and medical personnel dispatched. The disaster is the deadliest since 2009, when an explosion in Heilongjiang province killed more than 100. China has reduced mining fatalities through stricter regulations, but major accidents still occur, including a 2023 open-pit collapse in Inner Mongolia that killed 53.
President Xi Jinping urged authorities to 'spare no effort' in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering an investigation into the cause and accountability. He stressed drawing lessons from the accident and preventing future catastrophes. The Liushenyu mine was cited in 2024 by China's national mine safety administration for 'severe safety hazards', including high gas levels.
